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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26750023">When you've only got 100 years to live</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/madamoiselle_sica/pseuds/madamoiselle_sica'>madamoiselle_sica</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>RWBY</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>31 short drabbles, A Promise Made, Adoption, Allusions to Christianity, Baby Yang, Breastfeeding, Camping, Canon Compliant, Crying, Drinking, Falling Down Stairs, Gen, Holiday Lights, Men Wearing Dresses, Qrowtober (RWBY), Qrowtober 2020, canon divergent starting in chapter 26, cursing, deadly sins and heavenly virtues, described hangover, describing recovery, discussion about being sick, light cursing, light discussion of alcohol use, lost boy, minor mentions of blood, more heavy drinking discussion, ophan, reference to Summer's death, references to woman's bodily functions related to breastfeeding, sand, symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, transformation to bird description</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 12:02:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>32,612</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26750023</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/madamoiselle_sica/pseuds/madamoiselle_sica</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Qrowtober 2020<br/>31 drabbles of random stuff from my brain that sort of tells a story.</p><p>Enjoy!</p><p>I'm twenty two for a moment<br/>She feels better than ever<br/>And we're on fire<br/>Making our way back from Mars</p><p>I'm thirty-three for a moment<br/>I'm still the man, but you see I'm of age<br/>A kid on the way, babe<br/>A family on my mind</p><p>I'm forty-five for a moment<br/>The sea is high<br/>And I'm headin' into a crisis<br/>Chasing the years of my life</p><p>Fifteen, there's still time for you<br/>Time to buy and time to lose yourself<br/>Within a morning star<br/>Fifteen, I'm alright with you<br/>Fifteen, there's never a wish better than this<br/>When you only got hundred years to live</p><p>~100 years by Five for Fighting</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amber &amp; Qrow Branwen, Qrow Branwen &amp; Clover Ebi, Qrow Branwen &amp; Raven Branwen, Qrow Branwen &amp; Raven Branwen &amp; Summer Rose &amp; Taiyang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen &amp; Ruby Rose, Qrow Branwen &amp; Ruby Rose &amp; Taiyang Xiao Long &amp; Yang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen &amp; Summer Rose, Qrow Branwen &amp; Taiyang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen &amp; Yang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi, Qrow Branwen/Summer Rose, Raven Branwen &amp; Yang Xiao Long, Raven Branwen/Taiyang Xiao Long, Summer Rose/Taiyang Xiao Long, Taiyang Xiao Long &amp; Yang Xiao Long</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. 20 Professions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Qrow was still struggling with the reason that he was at Beacon. Graduation is just around the corner and he is not going back to the Tribe. Here he is respected, appreciated and even loved. Never thought that he would find a place to belong outside of the Tribe and yet here he is living with a team that he would not hesitate to call family. And considering how the tribe treated him, this is not really a surprise. But then what will he do when he doesn’t go back? Where will he live? How will he manage being on his own without them?</p><p>As he is thinking about this wandering the halls of Beacon, he walks straight into professor Oobleck. “Sorry professor.”</p><p>“That’s fine. That’s fine. No worries.” As he says in his typical very fast speech pattern. Then Oobleck looks over Qrow, who has a worried expression. Slowly, “Unless there are. Something on your mind?”</p><p>“Oh..uh...nothing really. Don’t mind me, I don’t want to take up your time.”</p><p>He resumes his faster speaking voice. “Nonsense. It would be a travesty if I didn’t let you take up my time. Now spit it out.” </p><p>Qrow sighs as he knows that Professor Oobleck will not leave him alone until he says what is on his mind. “I have been thinking about what to do after graduation.”</p><p>“As you well should. And?” As he continues his fast pace and then takes a sip of his coffee.</p><p>“I don’t know what to do. I was supposed to go back to my tribe in Mystrial, but...that isn’t an option, at least not for me. And since I won’t be going back, I don’t know where I could go. I have so many questions about what to do next...I don’t even know where to begin.”</p><p>“I know just the thing.” He pulls out his scroll and types a message into it and sends it to Qrow who opens his own. Then he continues at his fast pace, “Sounds like you just need a little guidance. Clearly being a trained huntsmen is one way to make a living and it pays fairly well. The rest of it is just a matter of making a few choices and following through. Think you can do that?”</p><p>“Uh..yeah”</p><p>“Good, then call her tomorrow and set up an appointment and she can walk you though the whole process.” Oobleck turns to leave and glances over his shoulder and slowly says. “You may want to consider sharing that with your team. Your teammates strike me as a group that won't leave each other’s sight.”</p><p>“Uh..sure. Thanks professor.” After speaking to Prof. Oobleck, he doesn’t feel nearly as concerned about the future and in fact he is mildly optimistic. Not a normal train of thought for him. Maybe he could be a professor were he could work in a place like this and feel right at home.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. 21 Feathers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Qrow is flying around, as he is still learning this new form and getting a feel for flying and how the currents affected him. He has only had this ability for less than a month and it was still surreal. Learning about magic and then having a little of his own. Despite all of his bad luck in the past, attending Beacon and becoming a part of Ozpin’s inner circle was just so fulfilling. To be appreciated for his abilities and trusted despite it all. It only felt right to take advantage of this form that he had been gifted with.</p>
<p>He lands on the ground, having not perfected landing on branches yet, he then hops up on a low branch, on a tree not far from where he landed and begins to quietly preen his feathers. </p>
<p>It always amazed Qrow how he could have skin and arms one moment and feathers and wings within a few seconds. And it didn't just feel like it should be normal to feel like he had feathers all over his body that felt similar to his hair. </p>
<p>After a few minutes, he decided he had to get back to work. So he transformed back to his human form, forgetting for a moment that he was on a tree branch. Without so much as a warning, he is on the ground, having fallen flat on his ass with the small branch that broke. </p>
<p>After rubbing his back for a few moments trying to ease the pain of where he impacted the ground, he noticed that there were feathers lingering on the ground. Two this time. He stared at them as he assessed himself to make sure nothing felt out of place. Ozpin told him that just like birds who lose feathers, it's no different than when we lose strands of hair. But it always felt strange to see them and know that they had come from him. </p>
<p>When he saw them, it almost felt like he had lost a part of himself in the process of shifting between bird and human, so he began collecting them. It was silly.and he knew it, but he still had a hard time adjusting to the magical aspects of it all. Trying to recognize that a part of him was no longer with him and that it took a completely different shape than it had up to this point in his life, was mind boggling. He hoped that eventually he wouldn’t feel compelled to keep them. And that he could find evidence that he isn’t losing a part of himself when he switches between the two forms. </p>
<p>Until then, he resigned himself to stuffing these two feathers into his pocket, as he got up off the ground. He would take them home and place them in the box with all of the other feathers he had collected. He hoped that one day, he could throw that box out and not worry about something as small as a feather.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. 22 Rings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was shortly after they finished building their house in Patch that Qrow and Summer had gone out to dinner. He was sure that this was going to be bad. But after seeing how excited Summer was, clearly there was more going on.</p>
<p>After they finished dinner and she decided to order dessert, which she never does, Qrow knew something was up. </p>
<p>“Summer, what are you up to?”</p>
<p>“I have the slightest clue what you're referring to.”</p>
<p>“Summer, you never order dessert because you always say that yours is better. So what’s up?”</p>
<p>She stares at him for a moment and then says. “That’s true but there are some desserts that I can’t make easily and creme brulee is one of them. Is there something wrong with indulging every so often?”</p>
<p>Qrow sighs. “I suppose not.” He is still suspicious but she has a good point because she had never made creme brulee, whatever the hell that was. He ordered a dark chocolate lava cake. </p>
<p>“So what’s up with you?” she asks as she rests her chin on her interlaced fingers, elbows on the table.</p>
<p>“You mean, since you broke up with me?”</p>
<p>Summer looks at him hurt. “You know me better than that. I actually want to know how your  huntsman missions have been going. You’ve been gone a while and so when Raven and Tai told me that you were back in town, I knew we needed to catch up.” She pauses for a moment and adds, “Besides, you and I agreed that it wasn’t working out.”</p>
<p>“If you really wanted to catch up, your scroll is right there, and it doesn’t take much to drop a line or leave a message. And regarding it not working...that’s debatable.”</p>
<p>Their desserts arrive and the waiter places it in front of each of them. Qrow thought that the waiter was rather hot, so he winked at him, as he set down his dessert. The waiter, a little surprised, glanced back at Summer, who was focusing on her dessert, and then back at smirking Qrow. Then the waiter winked back and then turned to leave, as Qrow watched him walk away, enjoying the view. </p>
<p>Summer didn’t even have to look up. “And that is one of the reasons it wasn’t working.”</p>
<p>Qrow whipped his head back to look at her, as she glanced up, spoonful of her dessert in her mouth. “I’m not tied to you any more, so I can flirt with whomever I want.”</p>
<p>Summer just shakes her head. “I refuse to rehash this disagreement. It’s in the past.” She takes another bite, as Qrow takes the first bite of his. “Besides, I have something else I want to talk to you about.”</p>
<p>Qrow can barely swallow fast enough. “Ah ha. I knew you had a reason for this whole charade.”</p>
<p>She stared at him, deadpan for a moment, and Qrow instantly regretted his previous comment. She always had a way with putting people in their place without saying a word. She looked down and took another bite of her dessert and then. Put her spoon down and reach into her pocket and pulls out a ring box.</p>
<p>Qrow almost choked on his lava cake. How did she know? But then again, no one was able to hide anything from her. Even Raven was shocked by Summer’s ability to know things that you never told anyone. </p>
<p>Summer sat the box on the table, while Qrow still sits frozen with his jaw hanging down. “I know that you damaged the ring that I gave you, as well as the others. And that you have done your best to get it repaired and hide most of the damage from me. But you need a more permanent solution.” She opens the box. “I know that I can’t do much for the ring on your pointer, but I can help with mine and the other.” Inside were two rings, identical to the ones on his ring finger. “I can make them near indestructible, since clearly they are taking a beating.” She pushes the box over to him.</p>
<p>He pulls them out. “Wow, they are beautiful. But they feel heavier. What are they made out of?”</p>
<p>“Platinum and black garnet.”</p>
<p>“They are identical to mine. How did you do this?” Qrow was still observing the craftsmanship that these rings had in great detail. It was weird to see them looking so new.</p>
<p>“I have a scroll, doofus. I took pictures. And you have let me see the inscriptions on two of them. So it was just a matter of talking to the right jewel smith.”</p>
<p>After appreciating what she did, he puts them back and pushes the box back to her. “Summer, this is too much, I can’t accept them.”</p>
<p>She pushes them back. “You can and you will, at least for the one that I gave you. If you don’t want a replacement of the other, then here.” She takes out her scroll and taps on the screen. “I just sent you the contact info for the gal who made these. Take the other one to her and she will find a way to fix it and merge it with this one. I have seen her other repairs, they are amazing.”<br/>She goes back to eating the last bites of her dessert. “And if you like what she does, have her take a look at the third one. I know that you have never taken that one off, not even for me, but she has worked with others who are also closely attached to their jewelry, so you can actually watch her work, if you choose. Then it never has to leave your sight.”</p>
<p>Qrow looks from Summer down to the rings and smiles. Of course she would find a way to make things right. She wasn’t mad, just practical in her approach to solutions. He pockets them. “Thanks summer. I appreciate it.” And he goes back to eating his lava cake. She reaches across the table and steals a forkful. “Hey!!” He swats at her playfully. “You are such a brat.”</p>
<p>“Look who’s talking.” She smiled, as they resumed their playful banter.</p>
<p>They finished dessert and made way for home, looking forward to more fun times with Tai and Raven. Qrow couldn’t still get over how happy he was with a family like this. What did he ever do to deserve such love?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. 23 Patterns</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So this one has an warning for details about babies and woman's bodies post birth. Nothing crazy, just some minor references related to breastfeeding. </p>
<p>These keep getting longer than I intended. I know that some of them will not be this long in the future but for now enjoy this slightly longer ramblings.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was late at night and he was trying not to go get wasted. Why?</p>
<p>Because he had just come back from trying to talk down Raven from staying with the tribe. It was right after a mission that they had just completed. But that was just part of the story.</p>
<p>Raven had given birth to Yang six months ago. And things were going well. All four of team STRQ were living in the house in Patch and they were all helping out. Raven was on overnight duty because it was easiest for her to breastfeed at night without having to prep a bottle and it helped prevent her from becoming engorged. And the fact that they all knew this now prior to knowing nothing about babies and kids previously was saying something. And Qrow, despite not wanting to know more about his sister’s bodily functions, admitted that helping Raven feel more comfortable was important for all of them.</p>
<p>During the morning, Tai would get up with Yang and feed her a bottle and take care of the morning household tasks prior to going to Sanctum for his teaching gig. Most of the time he was able to put Yang back down, at least in the early months, for her first nap. Qrow thought that it was weird that after sleeping most of the night, how babies needed more sleep after only being awake for a few hours. Then again what did he know about babies? Not much.</p>
<p>Summer was up next, as she would take Yang for the late morning to let Raven sleep in. She would either check on Yang, if she was sleeping or take her from Tai. She would also take over any breakfast duty that was left and make sure that everyone else was fed. And during this time, Raven would come down and eat breakfast, which Summer made it a requirement for Raven so that Yang could get the required nutrition from her.</p>
<p>Raven would then be with Yang the rest of the morning, lunch time and through dinner, feedings, diaper changes and naps. Summer would keep Raven company and do chores and help out around the house. That way if Raven ever needed anything, like an impromptu nap of her own, Summer was always around to help. </p>
<p>Raven was responsible for lunch, which was pretty easy since it was usually just herself and Summer. Sometimes Summer would take huntsmen, jobs but not too often during the day. Eventually Raven started pushing Summer to take more jobs so that Raven could have a little personal time, even if she still had to take care of Yang by herself. </p>
<p>Tai would return home in the evening and make dinner, sometimes with Summer or Qrow’s help. Qrow was on duty for post dinner, bedtime and post bedtime. This was mostly so that Tai and Raven could always have the evening to themselves. Most evenings though, Raven would come and put Yang to bed herself, especially in the beginning when bedtime was 7pm and happened right after dinner. Apparently it was yet again easier to breastfeed than have to pump all the time or so she said. He didn’t care about the reason, just needed to know what Raven wanted so as not piss her off any more than the hormones already did.</p>
<p>So Qrow would wait until about 10pm before he would prep the first bottle and then Yang would walk up usually between 10:30 and 11:30 for her first overnight feeding. After that, it was up to Raven to get up for the overnight feedings. Qrow just had to place the baby monitor in her room so that she could hear Yang when she started crying which wasn’t hard considering how loud Yang was. And then he was free to drink, which he did often in the evenings.</p>
<p>And so the cycle repeated. A simple routine and pattern for this extended family of five: mom, dad, uncle, honorary aunt and baby. It worked and Raven, despite the exhaustion, hormones and other frustrations, was not alone and had all of the help she could have ever wanted. Except she didn’t have the one thing that she really wanted.</p>
<p>It finally came out during an argument that Tai and Raven had after dinner one night, when both Summer and Qrow ran downstairs to find out what was going on.</p>
<p>“I can’t keep living like this!” Raven shouted.</p>
<p>Tai and Raven looked over at the stairs at Qrow and Summer. Summer got there first. “I don’t understand. What about living like this is bothering you?” Summer was calm and collected and she always had a way with her speaking that could calm down a storm.</p>
<p>Tai was clearly still angry. “You’re not going to believe this.”</p>
<p>Raven glared at him. “I’m allowed to want to live like any other huntress who doesn’t have kids.”</p>
<p>“So this is about you wanting to go back to work?” Summer clarified.</p>
<p>“Yeah she wants to put herself in harm's way just so that she can get a few thrills.” Clearly Tai cared but he was just going about it the wrong way.</p>
<p>After Summer talked them both down, it was decided that Raven should start looking for work during the evenings and that way she could still spend time with Yang, while she was awake and active. And to help make Tai feel better, she should start by taking jobs together with another hunter. </p>
<p>It started with Summer taking them with Raven. But then Summer started doing more with Yang and Qrow was taking jobs with Raven. Qrow thought that it was actually pretty nice. Raven started to seem more like herself than she had been in almost a year. Since she had stopped taking jobs when she was about six months pregnant and helping out at Beason with the job boards. She had no interest in going back to that because she didn’t want to be relegated to menial work, at least in her mind. Qrow understood that.</p>
<p>But this mission was different and Qrow didn’t know why. In all of their previous jobs, fighting grim was easy and came at second nature as they had a pattern that they fell into when they would fight together. Just like the scheduled routine at home. But this time, the pattern was sloppy and Raven was distracted.</p>
<p>He later understood some of Raven's mixed feelings when he learned why she was distracted. While they were on their mission, she had heard from a local that a bandit tribe had recently buried one of its leaders. So during their job, she was constantly thinking about that and not focused on what they were doing.</p>
<p>But as soon as they were done, with little to no warning, she used her semblance and disappeared. And much to her surprise, it worked, but what she found was a frail, mortally injured man who thought he was hallucinating when he saw her. But when Qrow tracked her down after she disappeared through her semblance, their father was dead. Raven resigned to stay. All she could say was, “Tell him that I trust that he will raise our daughter better than me. And that I hope that they will be happier without me.”</p>
<p>And so Qrow was still trying to convince her that staying here and leaving her family was just crazy. They had all done everything that she had ever asked of them. Raven just baulked, suggesting that he would never understand. And she was right, because he couldn’t understand why she was turning her back on a caring and loving home with her husband, daughter and extended family and choosing to stay with the tribe after having not returned previously.</p>
<p>It was too easy for her to just accept that life could be simple, to a degree, like they had in Patch. But it was clear that she wanted the adventure and the excitement. She lived for the thrill and she missed it. </p>
<p>But this was too much of a change, even for Raven. She was hiding something and he could tell that she had no intention of telling him.</p>
<p>So now it was up to Qrow to tell Tai and Summer that Raven wasn’t coming back.</p>
<p>He had to find the strength to go and tell them. And he knew without having told them yet, that Tai was going to blame him, whether he intended to or not. His temper would get the better of him and he would hold a grudge against Qrow because his twin hurt him and their daughter in the most painful way: leaving without saying goodbye. Not dying, not arguing and breaking off the relationship. No. By just leaving.</p>
<p>And the reason wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t a good one. At least not in his mind. Raven really did need a break from being a mom and wife. She needed to be herself again and the domestic things were really getting to her after everything. He understood the sacrifices that she made, including the choice Raven made by choosing not to turn into a bird during her pregnancy just as a precaution. But this? This was just an easy way out. </p>
<p>But the real sticking point in Qrow’s mind was that he should have seen this coming. Between his bad luck and her past behavior, it was no wonder that she would never settle for a simple, almost happily ever after lifestyle.</p>
<p>And then there was his semblance. If Raven had not been with him or on this missing or in this village, then she never would have known about what was going on with the tribe. He couldn’t get it out of his head that this was partially his fault. </p>
<p>But for the moment, he was trying not to go into the local bar and get a drink. So he turned into his corvid form and flew home. He had some bad news to share and he was not inclined to draw it out more than necessary. So he stood on the porch to their home for a moment and turned the door knob.</p>
<p>“Tai. Summer. I have something I need to tell you. And you’re gonna want to sit down.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. 24 Poison</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Qrow was out drinking at a local bar but that was no surprise. This was pretty common at this point. After Raven left, he slowly began drinking more. Summer confronted him about it, asking if there was more to it than just Raven leaving. He lied and told her no. But the reality was that his old man was dead and it haunted him for a bit afterward. </p>
<p>But eventually things got better and he started to lay off the bottle and have some better days. But today was not one of those days. </p>
<p>Earlier that day, Qrow was sleeping in his bedroom on the second floor of the house in Patch. It was nearly noon and Yang decided that Qrow had had enough time to sleep and that it was time to play with her. So she tiptoed into the room and around to the foot of his bed. She climbed up on the frame and onto the bed and then jumped, landing squarely on his stomach.</p>
<p>“OOWWWW!!!!”</p>
<p>“Wakey, Wakey!” Yang yelled. The two year old was as rambunctious as ever. And even though she didn’t know many words, ‘wakey’ was one of them.</p>
<p>He picked her up and lifted her above his head. “Yang! Please! Stop! Doing! That!”</p>
<p>“No!.” And she wriggled in his hands. “Ti..lle me.” Qrow had learned some of her gibberish and that was Yang’s way of asking him to tickle her. Considering how uncomfortable it was for her to jump on him, it was more the surprise than her weight, so tickling her would be a way to get back at her. But her wanting it would just encourage her to jump on him more often.</p>
<p>“Tickle you, huh. And why would I want to do that?”</p>
<p>She looked at him for a moment. “Ti..lle me. Pweeeess.” Please, yet another word that she knew but had a hard time pronouncing. </p>
<p>He was having a hard time keeping a straight face as she tried to say those words. And decided to give in to her request. So he brought her down to his chest and started tickling her all over her belly, legs and neck. He did this for a solid few minutes just watching her squirm and giggle the whole time. It was so nice to hear her laugh and she brought so much happiness to his life and to their family.</p>
<p>He eventually gave her a break so that she could recover from laughing so much. He decided that this was a good time to get out of bed and stretch.</p>
<p>“Pway me. Pway me.” Play with me, without the ‘with.’ And without thinking too hard he roared at her, like he had done many times, as they played a monster tag game. She screamed briefly and in a playful way and then ran from the room. He stalked after her, since she wasn’t quite that fast yet and she kept looking over her shoulder at him, and then she would scream again and run farther away. </p>
<p>This was all in good fun, until Yang was looking back over her shoulder, as she was headed straight for the stairs. Qrow noticed but a little too late, he ran as fast as he could to catch her. And yelling, “Yang! Stop!”</p>
<p>She tried to stop as she turned to see the stairs in front of her but unfortunately her speed was a little too much. And her control over her balance and coordination was not quite as developed, so she fell, tumbling down the stairs.</p>
<p>Summer had heard Qrow yell and was making her way from the kitchen, through the living room to the stairs, when she saw Yang land at the bottom step. She was at her side in an instant checking for anything broken or twisted in an unusual way. </p>
<p>Qrow was half way down the stairs when Summer beat him to Yang. And all he could think about was how this was his fault. This was the dozenth time that Yang had gotten injured when he was around in the last few months. And it felt like more of a pattern than just that little kids get hurt sometimes, because it never seemed to happen when she was just with Tai or Summer. And this was the final straw for him. </p>
<p>Yang didn’t break anything and was clearly upset but Summer didn’t blame Qrow because she knew that Yang should not have been running in the hallway upstairs. But Yang did have a nasty bump on her head and a couple of spots that slowly became bruises. </p>
<p>And despite the fact that Yang was back to her normal childish self within the hour, Qrow couldn’t let go of the feeling: I am a poison to Yang; to this family. The longer that he stuck around, the more likely Yang would get hurt and eventually it would be more severe. </p>
<p>So here he was late at night, gulping down shots of his own poison of choice, trying to wish his semblance away. He just wanted to be a part of their family and yet his misfortune made that nearly impossible. So he made the choice to distance himself from the family and Yang by taking more missions that were longer and farther away from home. Besides, with Summer and Tai getting together in the last year, they didn’t need him to interfere in their relationship. It was just better this way.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. 25 Flow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Qrow was out on a mission, like he was most days. But this time, he had bitten off a bit more than he could chew. After fighting for a bit so that he could get away, he turned so that he could transform, when he was face to face with a Sabyr that he hadn’t seen before, as it prepared to take a swipe at him. He ducked, just in the nick of time and even though the Sabyr missed him, it shredded his cape, leaving it in tatters. Thank’s bad luck. I really could have done without that. But he didn’t let that slow him down as he turned into his corvid form and took off using the upward air currents.</p>
<p>After a few days of not having it, he started to recognize that his balance was off and some of his moves with harbinger didn't flow properly. He also felt like he had lost his sense of the air currents.</p>
<p>So he went home, as he was expected to do. The little house in Patch would always be home to him, regardless how much or how little time he spent there. And recently, it had been more. </p>
<p>After Qrow tried to distance himself from the family by taking on long term missions for six months without visiting, making the occasional phone call to stay in touch, Summer was pissed. So when she found out from Glynda that he was at Beacon for the day, she jettisoned herself to Beacon, as fast as she could. She tracked him down on campus, like a predator hunting prey, and charged him, pinning him to the ground, threatening to kick his ass if he didn’t come home.</p>
<p>Even though he was accustomed to her occasional outbursts, since he had tackled him to the ground numerous times during training in the past. But what really took the cake, was when he realized that the woman sitting on his chest was obviously pregnant. Now he knew there was more going on back home that he had missed. It was no wonder that she was furious.</p>
<p>So after she dragged him home, by the ear no less, he agreed to cut back on the long term missions and do his best to stay close to home and not be gone for more than a week at a time. He was really concerned that being around her while she was pregnant was just asking for trouble but Summer wouldn’t hear of it. </p>
<p>Shortly thereafter, Summer had Ruby and the family fell into yet another routine and it flowed together similar to what they had with Yang. Qrow should have known that Summer would treat motherhood differently than Raven. Summer could be a brat about many things, but this was not one of them. Compared to Raven, Summer embraced all of the domestic tasks like baking and cooking and cleaning and playing with the girls, taking them to the park and going for walks. Soon Qrow realizes that Summer is a ‘super mom.’</p>
<p>It was this very evening, after he went home, that he started telling Yang about what happened to his cape as a bedtime story.</p>
<p>“There I was, fighting dozens of grimm, as they raged toward me and sliced through a dozen at a time. But they just kept coming.”</p>
<p>“Wow! That’s so cool Uncle Qrow.”</p>
<p>“But eventually, I had enough of this fight and I turned to take my leave, when all of the sudden...a Sabyr came out of nowhere. And being the coward that had hid among the trees, it aimed poorly and got my cape instead.”</p>
<p>Summer overhead Qrow’s overzealous story of his adventures from the doorway of Yang’s bedroom. She then realizes that he doesn’t have his cape on. “I think that is enough story time for tonight. Sleep time.”</p>
<p>“Awww. Can’t I just have one more?”</p>
<p>“You heard your mom. But….I will be here tomorrow, so I can tell you plenty more where that came from. But that means bedtime now.”</p>
<p>Yang seemed conflicted, but then resigned to, “Oh, okay.” Qrow leaves and Summer finishes saying goodnight and exchanging kisses.</p>
<p>Summer catches up with Qrow in the living room. “So where is it?”</p>
<p>“Where is what?”</p>
<p>“The rest of your cape. I know you have it.”</p>
<p>She knew him so well. He pulled out the pieces from this pocket. “There wasn’t much left when I did get away from the fight. The Sabyr really did a number on it.”</p>
<p>The strings of his cape loosely connected to a vaguely rectangular shape that used to be attached to his shoulders. “I was going to offer to fix it but this,” She gestures to the dangling threads, “this is not salvageable. I’m sorry Qrow.”</p>
<p>He frowns. He had held out hope that someone one would be able to do something but when Summer says it can’t be fixed, it can’t be fixed.</p>
<p>She notices his frown, as he stares at the remnants of his sad cape. “I could make a new one for you, if you want?”</p>
<p>Qrow looks up at her surprised. “Are you sure? I mean you’re so busy with the girls, I don’t want this to be a burden and…”</p>
<p>“Stop.” She interrupts him. “I would not have offered to help if this was going to interfere with being a mom. But we will need to make a trip to Vale to get fabric, so Tai will have to take care of both girls for a day.”</p>
<p>“Summer, you really don’t have to do this. I can get someone…”</p>
<p>“Nonsense. I want to do this. Please, let me help you.”</p>
<p>“Okay.” He concedes, as he sees how happy it makes her.</p>
<p>Later that week, she leaves the kids with Tai and drags Qrow to the shops in Vale, so that they can get the fabric to remake his cape. She remembered to bring a piece of the damaged one so that they can find the fabric that matches best. Summer knew him too well. And after an hour of hunting, they find the right fabric.</p>
<p>A week later Summer is presenting Qrow with a brand new cape but he is rather surprised that it doesn’t look ‘shiny.’ </p>
<p>“Well, what do you think? Do you like it?”</p>
<p>“Wow. Summer this is...incredible.”</p>
<p>She rushed over to him, and began attaching it to his collar at his shoulders. He waited until she finished and then he reached down and touched the fabric. Some places were really nice and crip, like the fabric had when they found it at the store, but other parts were softer and reminded him of his original cape. </p>
<p>She noticed that he could feel the difference. “I found that I could ‘roughed up’ some of the fabric so that it would feel more like your old one.” </p>
<p>He kept looking over his shoulders, like he was trying to get a good look at an old friend.</p>
<p>“Spin around for me. I want to see how it looks on you.” So Qrow obliged. “It flows so nicely. That should make your fighting easier.”</p>
<p>Qrow looks directly at Summer, “What do you mean?” </p>
<p>“It was obvious that this was bothering you because it affected your fighting. But now you don’t have to worry about that any more.”</p>
<p>Qrow has always been surprised at how intuitive she is. “Yeah, I guess not.” He looks at it some more then walks over to Summer and gives her a hug. “Thanks Summer. This is the best cape I have ever had.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. 26 Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Apparently I don't understand the definition of short or drabble. So I am very sorry that these are a bit longer than I intended but after removing paragraphs from some of them and shortening sentences, they were still.....long.</p>
<p>Take it or leave it. I am having fun with this writing prompt. Hopefully you are too.</p>
<p>FYI. I am a High School Math teacher and I add a mini PSA style note at the end. I don't plan to stand on my soap box often but I did this time.</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Night was Qrow’s preferred time of day. He could slip in and out of places unnoticed. His corvid form blended in making him nearly invisible.</p>
<p>Some of his best and most memorable parts of his life had happened at night. Learning that he and Raven had been chosen to attend Beacon, realizing that his teammates appreciated him and wanted him around despite his semblance, winning the Vytal Festival tournament, being granted his bird transformation and both Yang and Ruby being born.</p>
<p>One of his favorite memories was talking with Summer one night while Tai was working late and the girls were asleep.</p>
<p>“I miss nights like this.” Summer said as she turned to look up at the night sky.</p>
<p>“What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“Just you and me talking. Used to be while Tai and Raven worked through their relationship or lack thereof.” She laughed. “I still remember how many times Raven denied having a connection to Tai that was more than just friends and teammates. She would get soooo angry. And yet Tai just let her be until she finally decided what she wanted.”</p>
<p>Qrow chuckled to himself, remembering those times too. It seemed so recent and yet it was almost ten years ago when they had first met and became teammates. Despite the pain that it had caused at the time, she never had a problem talking about Raven and the past. It was also abundantly clear that Summer was in love with Tai in ways that she had not been with Qrow. He was okay with that considering how it had all worked out in such strange and wonderful ways.</p>
<p>They sat in silence for a while, staring up at the night sky, until Summer suddenly broke the silence.</p>
<p>“Qrow, would you do something for me?”</p>
<p>He turns to her. “Sure. Uhh..what is it?” He could never say no to her.</p>
<p>She turns to look at him. “I want you to promise to be there for me, Tai, the girls, the whole family in the future, no matter what.”</p>
<p>“I … what about my…”</p>
<p>She cuts him off, making a ‘zzpptt’ sound. “I don’t care how much you think that your semblance may be affecting things.” She pokes her finger at his chest. “None of that would even come close to the pain of not having you in their lives. I want you to promise me, that you will be there.”</p>
<p>“Are you sure?”</p>
<p>“Qrow.” She sighs.“Bad things happen sometimes. It is when we choose to learn and grow from them that we become stronger. Without some struggles and difficulties in our lives, it makes it harder to deal with the bigger problems that come our way, especially as we get older.” She pauses.  “I mean, look at us now. We know about Salem and magic, and as hard and crazy as it was to hear, we pushed through it. It makes us stronger, more resilient. In a sense, indomitable, like you.”</p>
<p>“I don’t know about all that.”</p>
<p>“Qrow, look at yourself. Despite all the obstacles in your path, from the Branwen Tribe to your semblance, you were granted the opportunity to attend Beacon, find me and Tai and become a formidable huntsman. Hell you helped us with the tournament twice. And the way you fight is so fluid and graceful. And no matter what you say, ALL of that is what makes you who you are: semblance, history, and the lot. Getting shoved around and choosing to stand up to the challenge when you could have chosen to give up. If anyone is indomitable around here, it is you.” She looks back at the house and then at Qrow. “And I want the girls to be just like you.”</p>
<p>He is shocked, jaw dropped, staring at her, and not knowing what to say. Eventually she turned to look back at the night sky.</p>
<p>“So, will you do that for me?”</p>
<p>At this point he would have agreed to bury a body for her but this was much simpler. “Yes, I promise to be here for you and the family.”</p>
<p>“Good.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Then there was the caveat that some of the worst memories also happened at night. His father telling him what he really thought of him, raids where villagers asked for his help and he wasn’t permitted to help them, telling the tribe he wasn’t coming back, learning that a few friends from Beacon died, him choosing to leave home for a while and Raven leaving.</p>
<p>Tonight was one of those nights.</p>
<p>Summer had gone on a mission for a week and Qrow and Tai took care of the girls. But on the night that she was expected back, she didn’t return. Sometimes that happened with missions, but she didn’t call either, which was unusual, but not unheard of, since not all areas could connect to the CCT communication network. And since they didn’t know where her mission was, she could have been anywhere.</p>
<p>On the second night that she didn’t return is when they got very worried. Qrow called Oz and Tai called Glynda and some of their hunter friends. No one had heard from her. Oz shared that he didn’t know that she was even on a mission, as her name was not assigned to any of the hunter jobs listed. At this point they were very worried. Qrow decided to take a chance and go visit Raven to see if she could lead him to her. But before he got very far, Raven stepped out of her semblance portal, almost like he summoned her, in the forest just outside their home in Patch. </p>
<p>“She’s gone. I can’t find her.” Raven’s voice cracked and Qrow tilted his head. Was she actually upset? The last time he had seen Raven upset was when they were kids. </p>
<p>“What do you mean you can’t find her? Find who?”</p>
<p>Whatever sadness or concern existed in her first statement was gone, now replaced with her typical stern voice. “Summer.”</p>
<p>“How is that even possible unless…”</p>
<p>“Yes little brother. It means she’s gone.”</p>
<p>Qrow is shocked and tears form in his eyes as the reality starts to set in. Raven turns to leave. “Wait. Do you know where she is? Where her...” He can’t even finish the sentence, as tears begin to pour down his face.</p>
<p>“No. But I have a feeling I know where but it would suicide to follow.”</p>
<p>“Please tell me!”</p>
<p>“No. You have more important things to worry about.” She gestures back toward the house.</p>
<p>Qrow looks behind him and then back to Raven who has already used her semblance to create a portal and has already stepped towards it. He takes a few steps toward her, prepared to grab her if need be. “Wait! You have to tell me.”</p>
<p>“No, I don’t.” She takes a step back and turns halfway to look at him. “If she didn’t tell you, then she had her reasons. And I suspect that they all live in that house.” She turns back and takes another step. “Goodbye brother.” And then she was gone.</p>
<p>Qrow was yet again, alone at night, a short distance from their home, having reality come crashing down on him, as he fell to his knees, tears pouring down his face, as he began to sob in the dark. He would, yet again, have to tell Tai the news that his wife was now gone.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Did you know that researchers have used the term grit to determine if someone will make it through certain struggles. West Point would always recruit about 1500 new recruits, because about one third or 500 would quit within the first year and most within the first few weeks. This was attributed to grit and it was later described as a growth mindset.<br/>Those that struggle along the way, while growing up, are better prepared for both physical and mental obstacles or issues that may occur in their adult years. While those who have had a fairly simple and easy life growing up tend to crumble when they meet adversity. Because they never learned when they were younger how to push through and be successful.<br/>There was even a discussion on the FGE server about how even scars and injuries that a left to heal properly can actually make the body stronger.</p>
<p>All of this to say that the bad things in life may seem like the worst thing to have ever happened to you. But don't look at adversity and challenges with ire, but with acceptance, that this too will make you a better person to have lived through and persevered.<br/>Just like it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. </p>
<p>We will all get through the challenges that the world is presenting us right now. And I have faith that you will be better for it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. 27 Photos</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have lost all sense of pith with this and as many of us have experienced, these stories begin as something like a simple idea or concept and then evolve into more. That seems to be happening more and more.</p>
<p>Sorry...I think. </p>
<p>As much fun as this is to write, I will do my best to not completely off the rails. </p>
<p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yang and Ruby are really excited to see and hang pictures on the wall to update what is already there. They begin by taking down the old photos of just Yang or Yang with just Tai or Qrow. </p>
<p>They had some new frames too and some for the girls to put in their rooms on their dressers too. They hung the picture with Tai, Yang and Ruby, as well as one with just the girls. Ruby wouldn’t let go of the one with just her and Qrow and so he placed the picture in a frame for her to put in her room. </p>
<p>Tai pulled out the box to store all of the old pictures. And as Qrow handed him the old pictures, Yang got curious about the other old pictures in the box. She saw an old one of Summer and Tai together and others of Summer, Tai and Qrow. And then she saw one with Tai, Raven and baby Yang. </p>
<p>“Who’s that lady?” Yang asked, as only a four and half year old could.</p>
<p>Tai froze and Qrow looked back at the two of them. Clearly he didn’t expect to have to tell Yang about Raven now. </p>
<p>“Uhhhhh....”</p>
<p>Qrow offers a diversion. “Hey firecracker. That’s my sister. Her name is Raven.”</p>
<p>Tai looks up at Qrow and mouths ‘thank you.’</p>
<p>Yang seems to digest this information and nods her head. “So why is she holding me instead of mommy?” Leave it to kids to figure out the obvious.</p>
<p>Tai sighs and his shoulders slouch. “She is holding you because…she is your biological mom. Qrow decides to distract Ruby while Tai has this very important conversation with Yang. </p>
<p>Yang makes a face. “Biologeh...what?”</p>
<p>“Biological. It means that she is the one that gave birth to you. She is the one that helped make you.”</p>
<p>“So mommy didn’t have me like she did Ruby?”</p>
<p>“Correct. Summer, your mom, did not have you. But she treated you like she had and loved you all the same.”</p>
<p>Qrow watches while still playing with Ruby by taking some of the old photos out  of the frames and picking out new ones from the printed stack. Yang seems to be taking this pretty well.</p>
<p>“So what happened to my biologithal…, Raven? Did she die like mom?”</p>
<p>Tai went wide eyed at that question. This girl was too smart for her own good. Tai just stared at her for a moment, clearly trying to figure out what to say next. “Well, no. It’s a bit complicated. I was hoping to tell you when you were older.”</p>
<p>Yang just stared him down. It was clear that she was not letting this go until he told her. Tai sighs again and his shoulders sag even further at the clear amount of stress this is causing him. “Okay. I suppose you are old enough.” He pulls her into his lap. “She left to go take care of her tribe, her other family from when she was a kid.”</p>
<p>“Why didn’t she take me with her?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know.” This is a lie but only a small one.</p>
<p>At this point Qrow feels that it is time to jump in and help out, he goes over, leaving Ruby with the pictures for a  moment. “Yang,” She turns slightly to look at him. “Raven and I grew up with people who do things very differently than we do here. And I think that she thought that it was safer for you, if you stayed here. They don’t have houses or running water. They live off the land and what resources that they can find.” He was dancing around the truth regarding the tribe being bandits but otherwise everything he said was the truth.</p>
<p>Yang considered his words carefully and seemed to accept them. “Will she come back?”</p>
<p>Tai and Qrow look at each other and then back at Yang. Tai responds first, “She has not come back and I don’t expect to see her anytime soon.”</p>
<p>Yang sighs and then puts the photo that has the three of them down. “Do you think she still looks like that?”</p>
<p>Qrow decides to answer. “Probably. Why do you want to know?”</p>
<p>Yang just nods and walks over to where Ruby is looking at the printed pictures all over the floor.</p>
<p>Tai and Qrow look at each other again. Then Tai asks, “What was that last part about?”</p>
<p>“I have no idea.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A short time after this conversation, Qrow was out on a mission, when he got a frantic call from Tai. “Slow down. What’s wrong?”</p>
<p>“The girls. They're gone! I can’t find them anywhere. And the wagon is gone too.”</p>
<p>Qrow groaned and then cursed to himself. “Any clues as to which way they went?”</p>
<p>Tai gave the best description that he could and Qrow headed there as quickly as his wings would carry him. He thought back to the details that Qrow had told Yang about Raven, since she had wanted to know more about her real mom. And then it hit him that Yang might be just brash enough to want to try and find Raven on her own. But where would she go? And then he made a guess as to where she would start looking.</p>
<p>He arrived at the decrepit house in the forest and when he saw the grimm, his worst fears were coming true. Yang and Ruby were in danger, if not already...NO. He pushed the thought from his mind. He sped in as fast as he could and assaulted the grimm with a vengeance that he had not felt since….well ever. Those girls meant more to him than breathing. He was not going to break his promise to Summer.</p>
<p>As he made short work of the grimm, he found Yang in tears, with scratches all over her, pulling a sleeping Ruby in the wagon. She looked equally terrified and exhausted. Qrow pulled her to him and squeezed her tight, beyond relieved that he made it in time and that they were not hurt.</p>
<p>“Why did you come all the way out here?”</p>
<p>“I was trying to find her.” She responded through her tears.</p>
<p>“You mean Raven?”</p>
<p>“Yeah.” She buries her head into his shoulder as she cries. “But she’s not here, is she?”</p>
<p>“No firecracker. She isn’t.” He felt so bad, not knowing what prompted her to take such a big risk to try and find Raven, especially for an almost five year old. He was just beside himself. </p>
<p>He didn’t have the heart to scold her. “Let’s go home.” </p>
<p>Qrow carried Yang and pulled Ruby in the wagon home.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. 28 Coffee</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So the pith has been returned to me. So a nice short chapter this time with Qrow being a little bit of the brat that he is.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If liquor was his preferred drink, especially at night, then his least favorite was coffee. Give him tea, hot chocolate or even hot water with lemon and honey. Coffee was always so biter and the aftertaste always lingered. </p>
<p>It had its purpose. Waking you up from lack of sleep, or a nasty hangover was definitely a plus and the bitter taste more preferable than walking around in a haze. While living at the house in Patch, helping out Tai and the girls, like he had done for most of the past two years, coffee had been his saving grace.</p>
<p>That was until he had a latte. </p>
<p>One morning, he went to see Glynda at Beacon, as she had requested him for a job. She had a spare coffee cup on her desk from the local coffee shop that had messed up an order for one of the other professors. Qrow, assuming that it was hers and being the brat that he was, decided to take a drink. And before she could stop him, he took a big gulp. </p>
<p>At first it was a shock, because there was a lot of milk flavor that he wasn’t expecting. The coffee flavor was there but subdued and then the aftertaste was less and a lot more pleasing with the caramel flavor of the drink.</p>
<p>“What...the hell….is... this?”</p>
<p>Glynda just sighs into her hand, preparing for him to go off the handle. “A caramel latte. They made it with real milk instead of soy, so they gave me the messed up one anyway.”</p>
<p>Qrow smiled and for a moment, as he examined the cup, feeling like a kid again. He took another drink.  “Why did I not know about this? This is so much better than straight coffee.”</p>
<p>Glynda looked up, shocked that he wasn’t throwing a fit. “I..I don’t know.” She wanted to add because his preferred drink of choice was liquor but decided that this was not the best time to piss him off. “It’s yours if you want.”</p>
<p>He nodded at her, then took another drink and another and before he knew it, he finished the drink. “Wow. That was good. I needed that.” He turned and threw the cup in the trash and then turned back to Glynda. “Okay, so what did you need me for?”</p>
<p>For the first time in a long time, Qrow looked like he did when he attended Beacon ten years ago, a little older but a lot less baggage. Glynda just smiled at the idea that maybe he wasn’t completely lost to the drink. So she decided to change her initial plan for him.</p>
<p>“That depends. Can you help fill in for a professor for a few weeks?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. 29 Magic</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So my pith has stuck around. We will see for how long.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Today was going to be a hard day. Qrow was in Ozpin’s office with Glynda. They were waiting for their guest to arrive. Today was the day that they were going to expand the inner circle. Today they were going to include James Ironwood among their ranks.</p><p>He was older than all of them and was on his way to becoming the next general of the army or possibly the headmaster in the next few years. It wasn’t clear which path James would take. Either way, he would need to know about the big picture regarding the bigger threat that they faced. Magic and Salem.</p><p>Qrow wasn’t really keen on the idea that James be ‘inducted’ so to speak, but Oz really wanted more allies in different kingdoms. The bigger concern was that he was bigfooting both the current general and headmaster in Atlas. Neither of them was going to be happy with him once they learned that Oz included one of their up and coming stars without their consent. </p><p>On the other hand, Oz had a point when he shared that they had waited too long to tell him. But Oz understood that with the military and the Kingdom as Atlas when it came to change, as he often used the phrase, ‘that ship turns slowly.’ </p><p>Then the elevator opened at Ozpin’s office and out stepped James Ironwood. Glynda greeted him first. Not surprising, since they used to date.</p><p>“Hello James. How was your trip?”</p><p>“Not too bad, considering I was already in the area for a mission. But I suspect that you knew that.”</p><p>Ozpin jumps in. “Then I hope this wasn’t too much of an inconvenience. I’m glad you could fit us into your busy schedule.”</p><p>James gets impatient and takes a crass tone when he asks, “So what was so important that you needed to see me in person?”</p><p>Qrow decides to make his presence known at this point. “Would you just sit down and shut up? He’s the headmaster of Beacon and he deserves your respect regardless of your rank. He doesn’t...”</p><p>“Qrow, that’s enough.” Ozpin interrupts strongly but calmly before James retaliates with his own demand of respect from Qrow.</p><p>Ironwood glares at Qrow, while Qrow glares back, and eventually looks back at Oz. And he takes a gentler tone. “So what is this about? It can’t be too ‘sensitive’ considering he’s here.”</p><p>Qrow balls his fits, but bites his tongue, just as Qzpin raises his hand slightly as a warning to back down. Qrow grits his teeth and grumbles to himself. “I would kindly ask that you have a little more respect for those I keep in my company.”</p><p>Ironwood glances at Qrow and then back at Oz and nods and proceeds to sit down. “So why am I here again?”</p><p>“I have some very important things to  tell you. But first, tell me, what’s your favorite fairy tale?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. 30 Warm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If anyone remembers the episode were Ruby tries to take care of a 'sick' Weiss, in the main series and again in Chibi RWBY, I totally pulled from that to add a bit of humor.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There are many times that Qrow had been vulnerable in his life. A number of times when he was a child, most of those which he doesn’t remember as he suppressed many memories from that time. </p><p>But there were other times too. A few times at Beacon, mostly with Team STRQ, occasionally in his crow form, once with Oz, a handful of times with Tai, particularly when he was drunk and a many times with the girls, as they love to catch him off guard in the morning. </p><p>However, the most vulnerable that he ever felt was when he was sick. And unlucky as he was, when someone else was sick, he always got it too. </p><p>Everyone knew that if you even thought that you might be sick that Qrow would avoid you like the plague. But when the girls were young, there was only so much that could be done to know ahead of time if they were sick or contagious. So Qrow got sick because of them many times. </p><p>Today happened to be one of them. And no matter how many times he would tell Tai or the girls to just leave him alone in his room to let it run its course, they never listened. They would bring him milk and read him stories or bring video games to play and the crazy cat poster. All so that it would make them feel better or so it seemed. Where the girls got the idea that warm milk was good for someone who was sick....No. He knew exactly where they got the idea from. Tai. The goof ball was lucky that the girls never had anything serious.</p><p>He had been up in his room dealing with a rather nasty cold when he fell asleep. He was surprised to wake up to a cool hand on his head.</p><p>“Why do you feel so warm?”</p><p>He opened his eyes slowly. “Hey there kiddo.”</p><p>“Is it normal for him to feel so warm and look like he is sweating when he has a cold?” Ruby asked Yang.</p><p>“I don’t know, maybe we should ask dad.”</p><p>Qrow sat up to try and show them that he was not so bad that they needed to bug Tai. “No, please girls, it's fine. I have been sick many times and this is nothing new. Please just let me sleep.”</p><p>“Only after you eat and drink your milk.” Ruby insisted.</p><p>Qrow sighs. “Could I get some water first?” He has a coughing fit for a moment. Then he continues. “After the water, I promise I will eat.” He would not promise to drink the milk. In all of his previous cases he would feign taking a drink and then dump it down the sink in his bathroom. </p><p>“On it!” Yang ran to get some water.</p><p>“Uncle Qrow, I’m really worried about you. Are you sure you are going to be okay?”</p><p>“Nothing to it kiddo. Just please don’t bring me any more milk. I really prefer water.”</p><p>“But it always helps us when we are sick.”</p><p>“Yeah but I’m not a kid anymore, so I don’t really need milk to be big or strong.”</p><p>Ruby considered his words, as only a five year old can. “Okay, if you say so.” She still looked at him worried. “So what do you want to eat?”</p><p>“Crackers to start. Some soup would be okay too.” Yang returned with a glass of water and handed it to Qrow. He slowly took a few gulps and then set it on the nightstand.</p><p>“Are you sure that is all you need?” Yang asked, verifying that is all he really wanted.</p><p>“Yup. And some more sleep after that.”</p><p>“Ok.” Ruby sounded so much like Summer when she was determined to do something. “So you make the soup and I will get the crackers.” They girls both headed out to accomplish their tasks.</p><p>Qrow was left to his own thoughts for a bit and as he took inventory of all of his feelings, he realized that he didn’t just have a cold. He had the flu. He only had it three times in his life previously and was disappointed that he had it yet again. So it was going to be like that, huh?</p><p>After his inventory, he realized that he had been sweating while sleeping so his clothes and sheets were a bit damp. He decided that he needed a shower and that it would likely make him feel better. So he went over to the door to his room and hollered, “I’m taking a quick shower! Leave the food on the table in my room!” He regretted yelling immediately as he started coughing again. But he needed to say one more thing, so after he finally stopped coughing, he hollered, with a little less emphasis, “Thank you!”</p><p>He then went and took a quick shower in his bathroom. As he stepped out and saw himself in the mirror, he was clearly running a fever, as his skin had a pink tinge to it everywhere. He just groaned. He got dressed in a casual t-shirt and sweatpants.</p><p>When he got to the main part of his bedroom, he saw the round crackers and the bowl of a chicken noodle soup on the table. His heart just warmed at the fact that despite everything that he had been through, all of the tragedies that he had suffered up until this point in his life, that he was still loved. The fact that even when he asked them to leave him alone and they refused, out of genuine concern would never stop him from getting that warm feeling that he was home.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. 31 Beach</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Qrow has never been to the beach. And Tai can’t believe it.</p>
<p>“I understand that you didn’t go as a kid. But we went as a team for the class trip. I’m sure you were there.”</p>
<p>“I was sick that weekend and spent the entire class trip in our room alone. You were too preoccupied by all the girls in their bathing suits, or rather focused on one girl in particular, if I recall, because Summer was ribbing you about it after you all got back.”</p>
<p>Tai shrugged. “Maybe. Then we went together with Summer, the spring after Ruby was born. And I know that Summer invited you because she wouldn’t shut up about it.”</p>
<p>“True, but I was on a mission two days before that ran long. I messaged her that you should still go and that I would catch up. And I did, on the day you all were leaving.”</p>
<p>“I know that I took the girls three years ago and you were staying with us at the time. I know that I would have invited you and the girls would have expected you to come with us.”</p>
<p>“I was, you did and they did. But Glynda asked me to cover classes for a professor for a few weeks, so I wasn’t able to come with you.”</p>
<p>Tai just shook his head. It was obvious that he was going to keep thinking about this. </p>
<p>“Tai save your breath. The timing was just never right.”</p>
<p>At this point Ruby and Yang had come downstairs and heard the last part of the conversation. “And that’s why we are going to make this trip the best ever!” Ruby was always a ball of excitement.</p>
<p>“That’s right. We are going to teach you everything about the waves and the games and the building of castles. And then we will crush your castle because ours will never be beaten.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That was two weeks ago. Now, here he was at the beach with the family. Qrow had seen the beach many times in his corvid form and even landed on the beach with a murder of crows to blend in while he was on missions. But otherwise he had never gone for ‘fun.’ Besides going out in the sun with his pale complexion was just asking to get burned and likely bitten by any host of bugs that lived there. He knew the bugs well, having eaten them as a crow many times.</p>
<p>Ruby and Yang were dragging him into the water almost before he got his shirt and shoes off. But as they began to play in the water and include him in their splashing games, he had to admit that he was having fun too.</p>
<p>After a nasty barrage of water that came in the form a larger than normal wave, Qrow decided it was time to take a break. The girls agreed. Everything was fine until he managed to get to shore, where he felt the sand begin irritating his feet but he ignored it. As he headed to their designated spot where Tai sat on a reclining beach chair, with all their belongings, he felt the sand grow to feel like he was walking on a frying pan. He quickly and awkwardly hopped his way to the chair next to Tai, who was now laughing at Qrow.</p>
<p>Qrow just glared at Tai. When he finally regained his composure, he couldn’t help himself and commented, “You should have seen yourself. You looked so funny ‘not’ walking on the hot sand.” Tai starts giggling again. “Oh wait, you can. I recorded it.”</p>
<p>Tai turns his scroll around and shows Qrow the video he just recorded. Qrow crosses his arms in front of his chest and just glares at Tai. He would never admit that he did look rather goofy with how he handled the last few yards towards their spot. It didn’t help that the video was starting to shake a bit at the end because Tai had started to laugh and couldn’t hold still.</p>
<p>“Just wait until I show the girls.”</p>
<p>Qrow just rolled his eyes. He knew better than asking him not to share it. Then it would just extend the length of time he would talk about it and share it with everyone. “I thought the girls were following me. Do you know where they went?” </p>
<p>“They are over there, starting their sand castle.” Sure enough, sitting down on the sand near the water, Yang and Ruby were busy with the beginnings of a very large sand castle.</p>
<p>Qrow grabs a drink and lays back on the beach chair and closes his eyes. Who knew that the water could wear you out so much so quickly. He soon hears the girls headed their way.</p>
<p>“Uncle Qrow, come see our castle.”</p>
<p>“At least the beginning of it. We are nowhere near done.”</p>
<p>The girls both grabbed a drink and snack and then headed back to the castle. “Dad, you should come too. This is going to be amazing.”</p>
<p>Tai gets up and grabs a water to take with him and then reaches over to Qrow, offering a hand to pull him up. “If you don’t go willingly they will come back and drag you over.” Qrow groans and takes the offered hand and stands up. “And I would recommend grabbing your drink, we probably won’t be back for a bit.” Tai didn’t always give good advice but when it came to the girls and their antics, he had navigated that pretty solidly. With that in mind, Qrow grabbed his drink too and followed Tai to the beginnings of their castle.</p>
<p>When they get there, the beginnings of their castle are pretty impressive with four short long walls and four wide cylinder shapes in the corners. It also had a bridge over a space for a moat but there is no water. </p>
<p>“Very nice foundation girls. What’s your next step?”</p>
<p>“We are going to build up the walls and the corners, dig a deeper trench for the water and have it lead to the wave so that the water will fill in with the tide.” For an eight year old this was very thorough planning. Yang was one smart cookie.</p>
<p>Ruby then decides to up the ante, as she takes a long loud inhale and shares her great idea. “How about you two build your own castle and we will see who’s is better?”</p>
<p>Qrow doesn’t really have an interest in getting involved. “I don’t know kiddo. I don’t really have any expertise with building sand castles, so that would put me at a disadvantage.”</p>
<p>Tai tags on, “Besides I think yours is going to be pretty amazing all by itself. No need for us to be a distraction.”</p>
<p>Yang decides that Ruby's idea is brilliant because she planned this all along. “Come on Uncle Qrow, Dad. You can’t possibly be worried about being beat by a couple of kids.”</p>
<p>Qrow groaned and covered his face with a hand. Tai may have had most of their antics down, but was many times spurred on by Yang in strange ways. He knew that this was not going to end well.</p>
<p>“Of course not, because we are going to CRUSH YOU!”</p>
<p>Yang just smirked, and said “BRING IT!” as only an eight year old can.</p>
<p>The competition between girls and the adults began simply, but slowly became more and more of an actual competition. Qrow was a quick learner and Tai was clearly pretty skilled at this. As the height of the castles get bigger and more intricate, onlookers begin to watch the spectacle, commenting on the scale and details of the castles, as well as taking pictures and complimenting the builders. </p>
<p>As the afternoon drags on, they continue to build their respective castles taller. The sun is starting to get lower in the sky and most of the onlookers have left, Yang realizes that the other castle is taller than theirs, while theirs is bigger around. She is limited by her height, for which they are twice as tall as Ruby at this point. And as she looks back at her castle, which is done, and notices that the other one is almost done too, a devilish idea comes to her.</p>
<p>She offers to take a picture of Qrow and Tai with their sand castle, and they both think that this is a great idea, so she uses Tai’s scroll to capture the moment. Then she asks Tai to take a picture with her and Ruby next to it. Then right after he finishes taking the pictures, Yang runs over to the other castle, grabbing Ruby on the way, and they jump right into the center of the other castle, destroying its height advantage. “Victory is ours. You didn’t protect your castle.”</p>
<p>Qrow is actually pissed that they just destroyed it after all of that work he just put into it. Tai on the other hand recognizes that the castle that Ruby and Yang made is also unprotected. “And so is yours.” As he dives in and crushes a portion of the wide castle. </p>
<p>Ruby screams “No! Our Castle!” She runs back over. “That was not nice, daddy.”</p>
<p>Qrow is staying out of this. Ruby is giving Tai the pouty eyes and he can tell that Tai feels a little guilty about it. Qrow is a little irritated about what Yang did but has no interest in getting on anyone's bad side at this point. That is until a lump of sand hits him smack in the chest.</p>
<p>“What the….” He looks up and Yang is standing at the edge of the water with fits full of wet sand. He was a little irritated before. Now he is aggravated and all he can think about is getting back at her. He bends down and grabs a handful of sand and chucks it at her. Only a little bit hits her, as it flies apart mid throw. </p>
<p>“You're gonna have to do way better than that if you plan to get me.” Yang taunts.</p>
<p>This is followed up by a chasing game between Yang and Qrow, as Tai and Ruby just stand back and watch. Tai decides that this is entertaining enough to use his scroll and video the event. </p>
<p>Eventually Qrow catches up with Yang after she successfully lands a few more sand balls on his chest, shoulder and leg. At this point, Qrow is just using the sand to coat her arms and belly. And for good measure, he decides to get her face too. He decided to leave her hair alone, as that has caused other issues in the past.</p>
<p>At this point, Tai intervenes and stops recording. “I think we have all had enough fun for one day. Can we call a truce?”</p>
<p>Qrow and Yang look at each other and both nod their head, so Qrow lets go of Yang and she lets go of the sand in her hands. </p>
<p>“Good, ‘cause Ruby and I are starving and we would like to get some dinner. How about we go clean up in the showers, pack up and then head over to the diner we past on the way here?”</p>
<p>Everyone nods again.</p>
<p>As they are packing up and headed to the showers, Qrow notices how the sand is everywhere. “How does it get everywhere? I didn’t notice it before but now I can’t ignore it.”</p>
<p>Tai just laughs, as Qrow wonders how he will get it all off. He begins to hate the feeling of it in his hair and on his feet. They clean up as best they can, change out of their swim clothes, have a nice dinner and head home. The girls promptly fall asleep in the car.</p>
<p>After they get home and he helps carry Ruby up to her bed, Qrow decides that he needs a proper shower. He then finds more sand in places he would rather not think about. He had a great time and it was a fun day, but despite the fun, he has learned that he hates sand and probably won’t be going to a beach again any time soon.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. 32 Touch/Bite</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Minor mention of blood and death of animal. <br/>A bit of sadness but a happy ending.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Qrow was on a mission, alone, as he was apt to do more recently. He was staying at the house in Patch a lot less, now that the girls were getting older and figuring out who they were and making friends and all of that fun that elementary age provides. </p>
<p>So he was taking longer missions away and doing more specifically for Oz to try and figure out what plans Salem may be coming up with. But while on these spy missions, he would  occasionally take posted missions, if they happened to be in the direction he needed to travel. This particular mission was a request to clear out a pack of grim in a forest outside a small village.</p>
<p>Little did he know how this simple request would change his life forever.</p>
<p>Qrow comes across the pack of grim in corvid form, since it was easier to avoid detection by grim and any other suspecting eyes. The pack of Ursa seems to be tracking or chasing something. They are not running but they are all gathering around a single area, which means that something is drawing their attention. Qrow gets closer, concerned that some child or fool adult wandered off in the woods and got corned by the grimm. </p>
<p>He quickly swoops down and around the Ursa, who ignore him, and as he gets near the center of the pack focused on their prey, and lands on a branch. There he finds not a child or fool adult but a dog. A dog with pup in its mouth. Qrow’s heart is broken as it is clear that this Corgi is injured, as it is hobbling along and as she is not putting weight on one of her back legs.</p>
<p>In a flash, Qrow transforms, Harbinger is out and transforming into its scythe form. He takes a single swing around the circle, as the pack of Ursa closes in on this poor dog who is just trying to protect her young. All of the Ursa within his reach are gone in a matter of seconds and that leaves about five more to deal with, which he dispatches quickly. He then returns to help the Corgi, who has disappeared. Clearly this animal has been very successful at surviving in the wild. </p>
<p>Qrow takes a quick look around and notices a few drops of blood. He follows the light trail and quickly finds the mother and pup hiding in a whole in the ground under a tree root. </p>
<p>“Nice hiding spot.”</p>
<p>The mother Corgi growls at him, despite laying down and not getting up. She is clearly in no condition to fight him but that doesn’t mean she won’t try. </p>
<p>Qrow puts his hands up. “I’m here to help you if you’ll let me.” </p>
<p>He risks moving his hand, palm down for the dog to smell, when out of nowhere he gets bit. Low and behold, the pup that she had been caring for came to the mother’s defense. She gurgles at him and nuzzles him back into the hiding spot. Qrow tries again, and she sniffs the same hand and licks the wound, like an apology.</p>
<p>Qrow just chuckles. But proceeds to touch her cautiously, as he is uncertain where else she might be injured. The pup, just too curious for its own good, climbs over her and onto Qrow’s lap. </p>
<p>“Well aren’t you curious.” He pets the pup with his other hand and for the better part of ten minutes, both of his hands are busy petting and comforting the dogs. </p>
<p>The pup, which Qrow determines to be a he, starts to whimper all of the sudden and crawls out of Qrow’s lap and over to his mother. He nuzzles his mother who doesn’t move. Qrow gasps, as he hadn’t noticed until just now, that she has stopped breathing. Quickly he pulls her gently out of the hole that she had been partially hiding in, as he does, he sees a lot more blood. Qrow cringes. </p>
<p>Despite everything that he has seen in his life up until this point, seeing a mother bravely defend herself and her pup in an impossible situation and then die after surviving against all odds, leaving her pup in a strangers care… It just tears at his heart. Tears start to form in his eyes. The pup is still tugging on his mother's ear, trying to encourage her to wake up, not understanding that it is futile. </p>
<p>He pets the pup and then carefully picks him up. “I’m sorry little guy. She isn’t going to wake up again. She’s...gone.” Qrow’s voice cracks and he can hardly believe that he is being so emotional over a dog that he just met. The pup clearly senses what Qrow is saying and feeling by whimpering in Qrows grasp. The pup scoots to nuzzle itself in Qrow’s elbow against his chest, burying its head there. Qrow can’t help but pet the pup and try to comfort the little guy. </p>
<p>“She did everything she could to protect you,” and then before he can think about it, he decides, “So I guess it’s up to me to take care of you now.”</p>
<p>Qrow walks back towards the village that made the job request. Before he gets there the pup has fallen asleep on his arm. He collects his payment for the job, finds a room in the village for the night and finds some food for him and the pup. The pup was so hungry that he steals some of Qrow’s food off his plate. </p>
<p>“Hey!” The pup doesn’t seem to care or notice, considering how fast he eats the food. Qrow just chuckles. </p>
<p>“You must have been really hungry.” To that the pup barks once and keeps on eating.</p>
<p>Just before bed, the pup tries to jump up on the bed and just can’t make it. He whimpers and Qrow reaches down and pulls the pup onto his chest. </p>
<p>He pets him right away. “What did you want?” </p>
<p>The pup then begins to lick Qrow’s hand where he had previously bit him, making his own apology for the bite. </p>
<p>“That’s alright. It will be healed by morning.” the pup lays down on his chest and curls up his tail and prepares to sleep. Qrow can’t bring himself to move him, so he reaches up and turns off the lamp and goes to sleep.</p>
<p>Qrow knows that he can’t take the pup with him so he makes plans to head back to Patch. He wonders what Tai will think of Qrow bringing a dog into their lives. He knows the girls will take one look at the pup and it will be all over for them. It is with this thought that he chuckles to himself, as he knows the girls will easily convince Tai to let the pup stay.</p>
<p>The next morning, Qrow heads back to Patch, the puppy at his ankles the whole way. Even on the short ferry to the island, this pup wanted to explore. When he shows up unannounced all he can think is, Tai is going to love this.</p>
<p>After they all met the pup, it was Tai who was the most enamored with the dog. This caught Qrow by surprise. Turns out Tai always wanted a dog as a kid but never had one. Right after Beacon, they worked on the house. Following that, it was never the right time, with everything that happened with Raven and Summer and raising the girls by himself, mind you, with a lot of help. But now was the perfect time. And before anyone got a chance to cast a vote, Tai named the dog Zwei. And that was how their little family grew from four to five.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. 33 Shiny Things</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Qrow had not noticed that he had a preference for certain styles or themes. He had lived off the land growing up on what was stolen or found when in the tribe. So ‘nice’ things was a relative term. </p>
<p>But as he aged over the years there was an unusual tendency toward certain things and styles. But despite what everyone thinks and he had been asked about, he actually hated shiny things. They occasionally stand out more when in corvid form but they tend to trigger a danger response. And it started to linger in his human form and affect some of the things that he would do in human form.</p>
<p>After having an unusual experience with aluminum foil when Ruby and Yang were baking, Qrow decides that he needs to go talk to Oz about it. </p>
<p>Ozpin is actually surprised by the idea.</p>
<p>“So you’re telling me that when you are in crow form and you see shiny things, you tend to avoid them or feel like they are dangerous. And now that feeling has begun to affect you in your current form.”</p>
<p>Qrow just sighed. “Now it just sounds stupid. What was I thinking? Just forget the whole thing.”</p>
<p>“Qrow. Please sit down.” Oz was always someone with a lot of patience, so Oz patiently sat there behind his desk, as the recently appointed headmaster of Beacon.</p>
<p>Qrow begrudgingly pulled on the chair, turned it around and straddled the chair.</p>
<p>“Tell me more about this feeling. When did it start?”</p>
<p>Qrow then stepped out how during the last few months, the feeling had gotten stronger in crow form when he suddenly had a similar reaction in human form when he was in a town grabbing a bite to eat from a local diner. At first he just passed it off as having recently been in crow form. But then every few weeks it would happen again and then they started to get more frequent. Then when he started to panic the other day with the girls is when he decided that he should come talk to Oz.</p>
<p>“Interesting. I have not had the pleasure of this kind of reaction and we can’t exactly ask your sister, so let’s see what else has changed in your life. Are you eating the same? Drinking? Sleeping? What else has been going on in your life?”</p>
<p>So Qrow recounted that nothing had really changed that he could think with enough of a difference to affect him in this way. </p>
<p>“What about your crow form? Anything different there?”</p>
<p>And that is when Qrow’s heart stopped. Oz noticed his reaction right away.</p>
<p>“I’m assuming by your stunned reaction that there has been something different there.”</p>
<p>Qrow just wanted to smack himself upside the head. He had been so worried about how it affected his human form that it had not occurred to him that the problem had started in bird form.</p>
<p>“Yeeeess.”</p>
<p>“Would you mind…”</p>
<p>“Fine.” Qrow interrupted. “I have been spending a lot of time in bird form. I have even been living and traveling with a murder of crows for a while. While they were traveling, a local kid started terrorizing a few of the birds and we all watched it happen, multiple times and he did it with aluminum foil. As you may not know, crow’s don’t forget faces and they….we hold grudges. In this case, for the next few weeks, that experience stayed on the forefront of memories. And for the murder would flee from anything shiny and attack those that had shiny things.”</p>
<p>The timing was nearly perfect, with everything that had happened, it was a shock he had not seen it sooner.</p>
<p>“I think we need to take you off missions, both mine and the official ones for a few weeks to get your mind back to a normal routine. And I don’t want to hear you cheating and changing despite your love of flying.“</p>
<p>Qrow just considered his words, and realized that Oz was right. So Qrow would just have to settle for alcohol, his second favorite thing to do.</p>
<p>Qrow stood up from the chair. “Thanks Oz. Catch up with you later.”</p>
<p>And with that Qrow learned that when fears affected his crow form that they were apt to also cross over the more often he was in stayed in that form for longer periods or stretches of time. Shiny things just happened to be one that would stick with him longer than most.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. 34 Sweets</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The girls wanted to celebrate Tai’s birthday but despite being able to make some pretty amazing desserts, they wanted to also have dinner and making a main dish was not their forte. So they decided that they would save up their lien to treat him to dinner.</p>
<p>After some spectacular deliberation between the girls, they finally decided on a nice restaurant in Patch. One of the few that existed on the island. So on that fateful day, they surprised Tai with cards, balloons, homemade gifts and a surprise outing. They literally blindfolded Tai because they didn’t want him to guess where they were going.</p>
<p>Qrow had not planned to attend but before he knew it he was being dragged along for the ride, or rather voluntold to drive to the restaurant. It wasn’t until they told him where to go that he started to feel a little out of place.</p>
<p>He couldn’t place exactly why this restaurant seemed familiar, as the girls undid Tai’s blindfold. Tai was thoroughly impressed that this is where they chose and that they had saved up to treat him.  Qrow was so focused on his own feelings that he missed what they were saying about why they choose this place. It was such a strange feeling as they walked inside but he couldn’t ignore it. </p>
<p>The girls had made reservations and so they were seated immediately. They got their menus and ordered fairly quickly. And dinner was enjoyable as Qrow pushed the uneasiness to the back of his mind. The girls made it easy with all of their antics and excited conversation.</p>
<p>After they had completed their meal, Tai suggested dessert and the girls eyes became the size of dinner plates. So they all began looking at the dessert menu, when it hits Qrow like a ton of bricks. He hid his shock well, as the girls fawn over the different options.</p>
<p>This was the same restaurant that he had eaten dinner with Summer, a few times in fact. More specifically the one that came to mind was when she presented him with replacement rings and the name of a jewel smith who was very capable in repairs and recreations. He looked down at his hand and admired the strength of the rings and how well they had all held up since he had gone to get them repaired. He had only had to return once to fix one of them when a hot ember had made a small crevice in it. Otherwise, they had survived everything that he threw at them.</p>
<p>He looked up and around the room and saw the table that they were sitting at and visualized her sitting there eating her dessert, as if it was yesterday. He made a small gasp and looked down at the dessert menu. It was still there. Creme Brulee.</p>
<p>So on a whim he decided to order it, to see what the big deal was with this dessert that she could not make herself. The girls ordered a lava cake and pie to split and share. To his surprise, Tai also ordered creme brulee.</p>
<p>“Trying something new?” Tai asked, knowing how much he enjoyed chocolate.</p>
<p>“Something like that.”</p>
<p>“You realize it was Summer’s favorite dessert?”</p>
<p>“No.” He paused, then added quietly “I just knew she enjoyed it but couldn’t make it herself.”</p>
<p>“We mentioned on the way in that this was her favorite restaurant in Patch. How did you not hear us?”</p>
<p>“Sorry, must have been distracted.”</p>
<p>Tai just eyed him suspiciously. “Didn’t you come here with her a few times?”</p>
<p>“Yeah.”</p>
<p>Tai let the conversation drop and went back to listening to the girls ramble about their favorite cookies and ice cream. Shortly thereafter, the desserts arrived and the girls dove into them. </p>
<p>Qrow looked at his dessert and was fascinated by the hardened dark crust on the top of something that looked like an omelet. He sighed and then took a bite. He was amazed at the smooth and silky texture. It was creamy and sweet but subtle, with a hint of vanilla and caramel. It was like a kiss in food form. Now he understood why Summer liked this so much. This was decadent. And just looking at it, he could see why it was likely a bit tricky to make.  </p>
<p>Qrow slowly devoured the sweet dish, while the girls eventually traded desserts halfway through. Tai watched Qrow and knew that he had never had it before. And it reminded him of the day when Summer had shoved a bite of hers into his mouth. That first bite of this amazing flavor would always be a memory that he cherished. He was surprised that Summer had not done the same to Qrow. Either way, it was a nice change to see Qrow so focused on something as simple as a dessert.</p>
<p>Qrow finished feeling better than he had in months. It was like a little piece of Summer was still here, weaving her upbeat personality around for everyone to take a piece. And while looking at his family sitting here, in their small corner of the world, all he could do was smile and silently thank her for sharing her all of her favorite sweets with him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. 35 Charms</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Qrow was on a mission and like usual, wound up fighting some grimm, as was to be expected as a huntsmen. But on this particular mission he was caught up in some thorny bushes and between the bush and the grimm, they stretched the links in his dark chain necklace, to the point that it no longer stayed on his neck.</p>
<p>He tried to fix it and he even asked his favorite jewelry smith to take a look but she was quick to share that even with a higher quality metal that it was still susceptible to bend and he would likely need a more permanent solution. She recommended leather, as it would give a bit but not pull apart.</p>
<p>Qrow heads back to Patch, since he has been gone for a while so that he can decompress and maybe figure out something to use to replace his chain. The girls always made him feel better about everything and he could use a little cheer in his life at the moment. They were his optimism wrapped in naive sprouts of joy. Their energy and optimism were contagious and always helped him sleep better at night.</p>
<p>When he arrives, no one’s home. So he places the necklace on the table in the living room, while lounging on the couch. Before he noticed it happened, he fell asleep.</p>
<p>He wakes up to Zwei licking his face.</p>
<p>“Will you quit that. I know you’re happy to see me, but come on.”</p>
<p>He eventually sits up and Zwei settles in his lap, the happy three year old dog that he is, and the girls are on opposite sides of the table, bending over and staring at his necklace.</p>
<p>“So it isn’t permanently attached?”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“I’m surprised that it actually broke.”</p>
<p>He grabs it off the table. “Wind don’t you find something better to do?”</p>
<p>Yang and Ruby leave him be. No one says a word about it, not even Tai, all through dinner. Then at bed time, Qrow gets a knock on the door.</p>
<p>“Uncle Qrow, can I come in?”</p>
<p>“It’s open.”</p>
<p>Ruby shuffles in, while wearing her pajamas, and rubs her eyes. “I wasn’t sure if I could find it, so I didn’t say anything, but here.” She hands him a leather strand. “If you want, I can help you add a clasp to this one and add your cross charm back on.”</p>
<p>Qrow looks a little more closely at the leather piece that he now has. It is a mostly rounded but relatively thin strip of leather. It looks like something he had seen before but he can’t imagine why, until Ruby fills in the blanks.</p>
<p>“Mom used to have all sorts of crafts that she enjoyed working on, or so I vaguely recall and Dad kept all of her stuff, so I just had to find it again and then sift through all of the bins to find the charm bracelet stuff.”</p>
<p>“Ruby, you didn’t have to go through all that trouble.”</p>
<p>“No, but I wanted to, because it seemed important to you. And that means it’s important to me.” She yawns again. “Let me know in the morning and we can work on it together.” She heads for the door. “Good night Uncle Qrow.”</p>
<p>“G'night kiddo. And thanks.” She vaguely waves over her shoulder and shuts the door behind her.</p>
<p>Summer to save the day again. Mind you with some help from her daughter. He just shook his head. They were so alike. Even without her direct influence, Ruby was becoming like Summer, more and more by the day. </p>
<p>The next morning, he takes Ruby up on her offer to help fix his necklace. She pulls out the charm bracelet bin and Qrow is almost transported to when he saw Summer take it out last time. Ruby makes quick work of measuring the leather band, trimming it, placing the cross on the leather band and preparing the clasp pieces. She may be ten years old, but even she knows that she isn’t allowed to use a lighter or a match. So Qrow takes over by heating each end individually and then inserting them into the end pieces of their respective clasp. </p>
<p>While he is doing this part, Ruby is busy putting together some charms of her own on what looks to be a bracelet. </p>
<p>“Who’s that for?”</p>
<p>“A friend at school. She is having a hard time since her family is getting read to move and I decided that this would be a good way for her to remember us. Each of the charms represents one of each of her friends.”</p>
<p>“Wow. That’s very well thought out.”</p>
<p>“Thanks. Are you done with that?”</p>
<p>“I believe so. Would you like to double check?”</p>
<p>Ruby doesn’t even answer the question, as she is inspecting it to see if the end pieces stay. Turns out, one of them does not. Qrow attempts to reheat it and Ruby stops him and pulls out the hot glue gun. </p>
<p>“This will work much better, but we will have to let it heat up first.”</p>
<p>So they wait and she shows Qrow how to use it properly since she wasn’t allowed to use it alone. After they successfully got the clasp parts attached, Ruby advised Qrow to pinch the ends of the clasps, as yet another way to make sure that the necklace won’t come apart. </p>
<p>“It won’t be perfect but it should hold together for a while.”</p>
<p>Qrow just watched as Ruby worked. He always reminded him of Summer by her looks and occasional mannerisms. But this was almost like she was mimicking Summer’s actual behavior. It was eerie and heartwarming all at the same time.</p>
<p>Once they had finished, Ruby made no hesitation to give it a go to try to see if it would come apart. Qrow looked at her dumbfounded, considering that they had just spent time putting it together.</p>
<p>“I gotta test it somehow.”</p>
<p>After she was done thoroughly checking the durability, it was time to put it back where it belonged.</p>
<p>“May I help you put it on?”</p>
<p>He just smiled. “Sure, kiddo.”</p>
<p>She politely placed this cross charm on his neck. “So how does it feel?”</p>
<p>“Good. I was really missing this.” Qrow placed his palm directly over the cross. It may have been through hell and back, but now he was happy that his charm was home again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. 36 Dance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Qrow was teaching at Signal for the year. He was asked to cover the position after another huntress had decided to retire unexpectedly. Not exactly spy work but it felt like coming home, coming full circle as he had a very consistent schedule and routine. He had learned while covering classes at Beacon previously that he really liked teaching and working with students. Maybe it was because of his time with his nieces but it seemed to come naturally to him. But he absolutely hated the paperwork. Luckily he only taught two different classes, weapon crafting and combat training and they had less paperwork than others or so he thought.</p>
<p>He was working after class one day with a student who wanted more practice with their newly finished weapon, so Qrow was actually fighting with Harbinger in scythe form, which he rarely did during class. He was showing a student how to spin and best utilize their weapon to attack while doing the spin. He then showed them how to do it and the continued movements and flow, so that one could get accustomed to transitions and connect them to the next movement.</p>
<p>The student was impressed and promised to work on it. What he didn’t count on was his niece having walked in and watched his demonstration and was staring at him with a drop jaw.</p>
<p>“WOW! Uncle Qrow that was like a dance.”</p>
<p>Qrow looked up at the area seating to find her, as did the student.</p>
<p>The student considered what she said. “She’s right. It is. That helps a lot. When I think about it like a dance, I can better understand the flow. Thanks.”</p>
<p>Qrow looks back at them, as they walk off, clearly deep in thought. He considers saying something but decides against it. Ruby bounds down the seating area and jumps down to join him on the combat floor. “Uncle Qrow could you do that again. That was sooooo cool.”</p>
<p>“Maybe later kiddo.” He collapses Harbinger and heads to the door, with her on his heels.</p>
<p>“Awwww. But I want to see more of it. I didn’t get to see it all and you just look so comfortable. Like Harbinger is your dance partner.”</p>
<p>Qrow stops dead in his tracks, as Ruby passes him up. He had never watched himself fight. Even after he won the singles for the Vytal Festival, he never bothered to watch himself on the video afterwards. He could visualize his moves and feel his way through them but it never occurred to him what others would think his moves would ‘look’ like other than for their effectiveness in battle.</p>
<p>After he thinks for a moment, he recognizes just how much Harbinger means to him and how it always felt like an sharpened extension of his arms. And then he remembers the instruction he received at Beacon. “Well, uh, your weapon is an extension of your soul, so that isn’t too surprising.”</p>
<p>“Really?! That is sooooo cool. I wish I had a weapon like that. Right now the one that I have just feels like a burden.”</p>
<p>“Well that’s too bad. Maybe you need to go back and retool your weapon.”</p>
<p>“I’ve done that and it just doesn’t feel right.”</p>
<p>“Maybe you just need to start over and design something else.”</p>
<p>“That’s IT! I don’t need this garbage.” She tosses her weapon on the ground. “I need a scythe like you. Oh I can’t wait to build it. I can already imagine what color it will be and how I will make it a sniper rifle with…”</p>
<p>He interrupts her. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Why does it have to be a scythe?”</p>
<p>“Because I want to look like you dancing with Harbinger. Mind you I’ll have to pick my own name.” Ruby starts looking deep in thought.</p>
<p>Qrow just stares at her. She and Yang still don’t know about his semblance since he and Tai decided that it was better to keep that to themselves. So she doesn’t understand why this is probably not a good idea. </p>
<p>“Ruby, I don’t know. I mean, what would your dad say?”</p>
<p>“He would think that this is a great idea. He knows how bad I have been at combat and the struggles I have been having with my weapon. Besides, I can’t fight like him and Yang and he has been looking for someone to privately work with and teach me. And what better person than you?”</p>
<p>Qrow was aware of his nieces’ fascination with him and where he would go when he wasn’t at home and ask about his adventures. But this was a new level that concerned him, as it verged on emulating him, which he was sure was not a good thing. </p>
<p>“I don’t know kiddo, the scythe is a very unique weapon. It can be very dangerous to the user if you’re not careful.”</p>
<p>“And that is why you will make the best teacher, because you know how to do it yourself, so you can help me avoid all of these hassles of  having done it before.” She saw his hesitation. “PLEEEAAASSSE Uncle Qrow. I really need this.”</p>
<p>There was no way for him to deny her at this point. She had a point that by knowing the weapon himself, he would be the best suited for it and since he helped build Harbinger, he could also help with the design of it as well.</p>
<p>After checking with Tai and the school, they got her schedule changed so that she could spend her weapon crafting class with Qrow as the professor. But he recommended that she keep her current combat class, as there were still things that she could learn from her and scheduled time to meet after school to work with Qrow. </p>
<p>During class when Ruby showed him a drawing of her scythe for one of her last designs, another student commented, “That’s cool, it looks like a crescent moon.” Ruby’s eyes just lit up and she already had notes about the primary red rose color that weapon would have. She then she blurted out, “Crescent Rose.” Qrow just smiled, as she now had a name to go with this weapon.</p>
<p>Creation was a matter of time and patience, which Ruby was not known for, but with this she seemed to want it right or not at all, choosing to remake a few parts before moving on to the next one. Once they were forged, they worked together to build it, welding parts, and attaching screws, bolts and pieces as they went. Once they had the basic skeleton of the weapon together, they tested the transformation mechanism. Low and behold it worked. However, when trying the collapsing mechanism, it didn’t. So they had to work out that kink before moving on to the next part.</p>
<p>Ruby was super excited and still permitted to practice with it. And right away Qrow noticed just how much better she looked fighting with the scythe. Summer would have been excited for her and terrified, but that would have never stopped Ruby. </p>
<p>Soon, with some outside help, they were able to work out the issue with the collapsing mechanism and then Ruby got really excited. So they added the sniper rifle and verified that all the transformations worked and then added in all of the other parts. Each time verifying that everything worked in between. Qrow had told her that this was the only way to do it or she would wind up having to remove multiple parts trying to find errors or issues.</p>
<p>After having to make a few adjustments, Crescent Rose was completed and Ruby was carrying it with her all over school. A number of her friends and others would comment on it regularly. And the longer she was in her combat the class, the better she was getting. Mind you, mostly due to the additional training that she was getting from Qrow after school three days a week. </p>
<p>During practice one day, Qrow taught her a tricky combo but she was eager to try. And then watching her walk through the steps and then spread them up and after the fifth time that she went through the combo, Qrow saw it. Ruby was dancing with Crescent Rose. After all of these years he finally saw what everyone else saw. No wonder everyone kept saying how he looked like poetry when he fought and even though Ruby was nowhere near poetry level, he could easily see how this style could learn to become that now that he was watching from the outside. </p>
<p>“Hey, Ruby.”</p>
<p>“Yes, Uncle Qrow.”</p>
<p>“It’s just a start but you are beginning to look like you are dancing with Crescent Rose.”</p>
<p>“Really?”</p>
<p>“Really. Now let’s work on the ending portion of that move to make it even better.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. 37 Myths/Legends</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He was teaching at Signal for yet another year. Despite his complaints, he was actually enjoying the job. It was simple and very rewarding. The students seemed to enjoy his classes and from what the girls told him about what they heard from the other students, he was one of the favorite teachers, right up there with Tai. Even Tai shared that the other teachers seemed to appreciate what he did for the students, even if they didn’t like his attitude toward the teachers themselves.</p>
<p>There were also many days when his students would ask him about his necklace. The cross that he always wears. And at first, he easily dismissed it and they stopped asking. But then Ruby began attending his classes and he feels compelled by her incessant whining to tell them, mostly her, something. </p>
<p>So he goes on to explain in limited detail how he grew up in Mistral with an unconventional tribe verses in a village. He leaves out the pillaging of other villages. They don’t need to be traumatized. </p>
<p>So Qrow tells the tale while he was a part of that tribe, that one of the spiritual elders shared with him. The elder was a believer in what many referred to as mythology in their world. He had a book that referred to there being one god. This god had a son who walked the earth with them, sharing his gifts to heal and help others. He was also a teacher of goodwill and treating others with kindness and helping each other when needed. These were focused on the seven areas referred to the heavenly virtues: chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility. </p>
<p>The son also had concerns with how humanity was conducting itself, and also shared that being wealthy or rich could be bad. This all related to the seven sins: pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth. </p>
<p>He is later accused of committing the crime that he is a fraud for claiming to be the son of God. He is then crucified on a cross for not repenting and admitting that he is not, according to the humans, the king of their people. When his body is taken to a cave to be buried later, the body has vanished and no one can explain it other than to say it is a miracle and that he is, in fact, the son of God.</p>
<p>Then Ruby asks the obvious question. “And how does that explain how you got the necklace?”</p>
<p>Qrow sighs. “The elder that told me that story gave this to me as a way…” He starts to say ‘to deal with his bad luck,’ hoping that it would counteract it, but he has no interest in telling any of them about that. “...a way to help me focus on what mattered in life and avoid the bad. He thought it would bring me luck.” That was one way of saying it. </p>
<p>“Interesting. Why did he give it to you and not others?”</p>
<p>Qrow has to think about this, because it never occurred to him that he was special to anyone in the tribe. “Most likely because I was the only one who would listen to his stories.” And because I was lonely and no one else wanted to be near me. </p>
<p>Ruby doesn’t press any further. “That’s so cool. Maybe I should get one.” </p>
<p>“It wouldn’t be the same. And you have better things to spend your money on, like upgrades to Crescent Rose, perhaps?”</p>
<p>And with that the class got back to work and no one asked about since then.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. 38 Plants/Flowers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He wakes up and the first thing he notices is his very obvious hangover. The second thing, after he has taken a moment to compose himself so his stomach doesn’t bother him, is that he is in someone else’s home. And then he hears water running. Shit!</p><p>He didn’t know who he had gone home with. Hell from just glancing around the room he couldn’t even tell if it was male or female. Then he realizes that this isn't a house. This a room in an inn. He begins to panic as he slowly works to get up and out of bed. He is still wearing his pants. Well, that was a good sign he didn’t do something inappropriate while drunk.</p><p>He is bending down collecting his shirt and things, when someone walks out of the bathroom.</p><p>“Hey, you're awake!”</p><p>He turns to see Amber walking towards him. Damn it. </p><p>“Uuhh. Hey.”</p><p>“You don’t remember do you? Last night, that is?”</p><p>Qrow groans and then regrets it as his head now hurts more. He slowly sits on the bed, and places his head in his hands. “So what did I do this time?”</p><p>He had many times gotten drunk and had flings with both guys and girls, just filling the void and now that it was summer break, he was out taking both official and unofficial huntsmen jobs, since he wasn’t tied to Signal. And while he was not stuck there, he would drink more during the day and heavier at night. It just made the job easier, mitigate his bad luck or so he thought and helped the day go by faster.</p><p>Occasionally he would drink too much and when he was in fact wasted, he would forget later parts of his evening and wake up in other people’s homes, and sometimes in compromising positions and states of dress.</p><p>But now he was dreading what Amber was about to tell him. He was hoping beyond anything else that he wasn’t inappropriate with her.</p><p>“Besides making a fool of yourself and almost starting a bar fight, nothing out of the ordinary.”</p><p>He glances at her sideways, slightly turning his head in his hands to look at her. “You sure about that?” She just stares at him, and he sighs again. “I wasn’t…ahhh... inappropriate towards you, was I?”</p><p>“Besides some very flirty and flattering comments, no. I made it very clear that I was more concerned about you not getting into a fight as I dragged you out of there. And even if you had wanted to suggest more, there wasn’t the time, because you started puking shortly after we left.”</p><p>Qrow just wanted to die. He couldn’t recall the last time he was that far gone. And it wasn’t like he stuck around in the morning to learn what happened the few times he had gotten blackout drunk. This could have been ‘normal’ for him but he couldn’t be sure. </p><p>“Sorry that you had to take care of my pitiful ass.” He stood up and regretted it immediately, as he got dizzy and nearly fell over. Amber took a few quick steps and caught him before he fell over. </p><p>“You’d better sit back down for a bit. No sudden movements, mister.” She slowly helped him back to sitting on the bed.</p><p>“Aye, aye, captain.”</p><p>“Cute.”</p><p>“I try.”</p><p>“Not with me and not right now.” Amber walks away from Qrow and brings him back a cup of water. “Drink this. You need to hydrate.” He does so without question.</p><p>She sets the cup next to the bed and then goes and grabs her staff and cloak. “I will be back in a little bit. I am going to head into the woods and look for some plants and herbs that will fix you right up.”</p><p>Qrow just groaned. “Don’t bother. Just bring me some more liquor.”</p><p>“No, that won’t help and might actually kill you. And I think that your students would miss their favorite teacher.” She doesn’t wait for him to respond and makes for the door after putting on her cloak. “I know I would, considering I wouldn’t likely be here without you, helping people and trying to protect the world.” </p><p>Qrow groans again as he slowly lays back down on the bed. </p><p>“And don’t go disappearing on me with your little trick, or I will hunt you down and you know that I can.”</p><p>“Uhhg. Just go already.” She chuckles and then closes the door behind her.</p><p>He had considered flying away after she left but when she made threats she kept them and he would rather deal with her now than later. Shortly after laying on the bed, he falls asleep.</p><p>Qrow wakes up again but this time with a slightly clearer head. He hears grinding and stirring. He slowly opens his eyes and scans the room to see Amber making some sort of concoction. And then he remembers that she left to do just that.</p><p>“Are you ready to poison me yet?”</p><p>She glances up, quickly, a little surprised that he is awake and smiles. “No but you may think that I am. Hoping to add a little something to help with the task.”</p><p>“Do I dare ask what’s in it?”</p><p>“Not until after you drink it.” She mixes up the last of the crushed herbs, plants and flowers into a small cup of water. Then she walks over to him, places it on the side table, helps him sit up and then tips it to his mouth. He drinks despite not being pleased with being handled this way. It’s surprisingly not a terrible flavor, so drinking it all was fairly easy, even if the aftertaste was not fun.”</p><p>“That was actually not bad at all. What the heck was in that?”</p><p>“My special recipe. Tell me how you feel during the next hour and I will send the recipe to your scroll.” </p><p>To Qrow’s surprise, he starts to feel better very quickly. Within the half hour, he feels better than he has in a long time, realizing that he doesn’t feel the need to drink again, for the time being. A little scary but not terrible. All it took was some herbs and flowers. </p><p>Amber sends him the recipe for the mixture, but only after he promises to avoid getting that drunk in the future. And so he does, but is aware that he might do so in the future without meaning to, considering his luck.</p><p>But this memory stays with him. This was one of the best things that anyone had ever done for him outside the family in a long time. And he was going to find a way to repay the favor no matter what.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. 39 Food</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As much as Qrow loved all of the students and the profession of teacher, during this most recent summer break, he had found that Salem and her cronies were on the move. It became obvious that he was needed more in the field. </p>
<p>And with both girls attending Beacon this fall, home didn’t feel the same either. The idea of living in that house with just him and Tai concerned him. So he left the teaching gig and took up spy work for Oz full time, taking official missions along the way, especially to throw off any suspicion of where he actually was in the world.</p>
<p>The down side to all of this was that his routine was completely thrown out of order. And for someone who was almost 40 years old, it was a bit jarring. His only solution was to drink more throughout the day, his flask a constant companion. It made the numbness of working alone better. It seemed to dull his semblance and how it affected others around him and it just made him feel better with a consistent buzz. Who wouldn’t want to feel like this all the time?</p>
<p>However, he wasn’t always alone. He did occasionally work with other hunters. Some from his academy days, others he met from Vytle tournaments over the years and professors from Beacon, Signal, Sanctum and Haven. Especially since a majority of his spy work was landing him in Mistral. </p>
<p>So it was really no surprise when he was drinking one night in a village where he was supposed to meet up with a huntress to help with some of the spy work. He just wasn’t expecting to see Amber when she sat down across from him. He nearly choked on his drink.</p>
<p>“You okay there? Perhaps you need some water? Or I don’t know, maybe some food to go with your drink of choice?” Amber may have been the Fall maiden but she knew how to blend in. But this was just her being silly.</p>
<p>Qrow composed himself. “I’m fine, just didn’t expect to see you for this job.”</p>
<p>“Really? I wonder if it has something to do with having learned some of my best skills from an excellent teacher and huntsman that subbed a few times at Beacon.” </p>
<p>“Will you stop that?” </p>
<p>“Awww. The grown man still hasn’t learned to take a compliment.”</p>
<p>“Cut it out!” This time there was an edge to it. He just wasn’t in the mood to be teased today. Amber glared at him but dropped it.</p>
<p>She ordered something to drink and eat for both of them. Qrow was going to complain but she glared at him, also in no mood to deal with his objections. When the food arrived, he was rather surprised that he actually felt hungry. He couldn’t tell if it was the smell or the fact that he had not actually eaten in a while.</p>
<p>They both eat in silence but Amber is watching him closely. She grabs his glass of water and stirs in some herbs, her specialty, and places it back in front of him. He hardly even notices. He smiles to himself and wiggles a little as they continue to eat their meal and she decides to add a quip. “There you are. Looking better already.” Qrow just rolls his eyes and continues eating.</p>
<p>The food was good but way too much for what he could eat. She asks, “So when was the last time you ate?”</p>
<p>“Will you stop worrying about me? You need to focus on taking care of yourself. You know that all this kindness is going to kill you one day.”</p>
<p>“There are worse reasons to die.” </p>
<p>She then wraps up the extra food that they didn’t eat. “What are you doing that for?”</p>
<p>“There are kids outside who are too skinny to be getting full meals. No reason to let food go to waste.” He just rolls his eyes and then downs his last shot and stands up to leave. She pays for the food and heads for the door.</p>
<p>They plan to go into the nearby forest to take care of some Grimm and scout out some of the nearby villages looking for Salem’s henchmen. She stops along the way to give the food she wrapped up to a few of the children playing outside and they are clearly very thankful. </p>
<p>Amber and Qrow get wind of someone asking for the Faunus group, the White Fang, to take on a big job in Vale. They split up, so that Amber can eavesdrop among the crowd and Qrow can transform and find their camp. He easily finds it and catches quite a bit about the money and dust offered to them, as well as how there were three people who approached Adam. Amber hears about a description of the people who proposed it and finds that there were three of them that arrived together to make the offer.</p>
<p>Amber and Qrow meet back up at the inn that night and using code, they are able to share what they have learned with each other. Qrow pulls out his phone and messages Oz. Queen has pawns.</p>
<p>Amber insists that they have dinner together. She was always so caring and a little too naive for this work, in Qrow’s mind, but she had a good heart and no one was going to take that from her. No matter what he said to her, she always made sure he was well fed, since she knew his tendencies to drink his meal versus chew them. The herbs that she would give would always make him feel better but he was hesitant to admit it. Keeping her and everyone else at a distance was always best. Even if the food tasted better when he didn’t have to eat alone.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. 40 Family</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Qrow is beside himself. His family was being attacked and he was reliving his trauma with Raven and Summer all over again. Why did he always have to hurt the ones that he cared the most about? He would take all of that pain on himself, if he could, to prevent anyone else from suffering for something that followed him like his shadow.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It all started about six months ago. Amber and him had stayed in touch over the past few years, ever since she had prevented him from getting into a bar fight. She had insisted that they meet up and head back to Vale together, since they both needed to check in with Ozpin. He begrudgingly agreed.</p>
<p>They were supposed to meet at a village inn but he was running late and told her to go on ahead and that he would catch up. She knew about his corvid form, so she was not concerned that he could do just that.</p>
<p>As Qrow is using the air currents to fly toward the path that she would take to head home, he feels the air currents shift. Nothing major at first and then they shift again in an unusual way. Then it occurred to him that Amber could affect the wind in this way, but why would she. Then he felt it again, more strongly this time and it hit him. She was fighting someone.</p>
<p>He picked up the pace and shortly thereafter he saw the area at the center of the shifting winds. He flew as fast as he could, seeing the battle take place from up high, but so far away. But he couldn’t get there fast enough. He pushed his wings as fast they could go and aimed downward for additional speed but it was still not fast enough. As he gets to the edge of the forest, he can see that two of her three attackers are holding her while the third seems ready to attack her. He transforms as the woman in red puts a hand in front of Amber’s face. He jumps and dashes as fast as his feet can carry him, cutting the black looking Grimm tendrils that connected the woman in red to Amber. They jump back as he catches Amber. They seem disappointed by this turn of events. </p>
<p>Then he sees the lady in red with her one eye glowing with maiden power and he notices the ground start to glow under him and he jumps with Amber in his arms, to avoid the explosion. When he looks back to them, they are gone. He turns to look at Amber, noticing the odd mark, almost a mix between a scar and birthmark, on her face. But Amber lays limp in his arms. </p>
<p>“Amber, wake up.” He pleads. This can’t be happening. He pulls out his scroll and messages Oz, looking for whatever assistance that he can get, concerned that whoever they were will be back to finish the job. Within minutes a huntress has joined him. He knows that she is not part of the inner circle but that matters not. What matters is getting Amber back to Beacon safe, so that they can tend to her wounds.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Then just a few weeks ago, he decided to go back to Beacon since the Vytal tournament was coming up. He was actually looking forward to heading home and seeing the girls at Beacon. Curious as to how good or bad they would do in the tournament their first year.</p>
<p>But as he was headed back, he got wind that Atlas would be providing security, which meant that James and likely Winter would be there. And he still had a bone to pick with her about some jobs in Mistral.</p>
<p>There would also likely be discussions about the next fall maiden, since Amber had not been able to recover on her own. He still couldn’t quite believe that she was still alive. Regardless, it meant that the enemy didn’t have all of the Fall Maiden’s power and that was something they could work with. </p>
<p>The downside to all of this, was that Qrow knew that he was drinking more and even if Oz never seemed to care, he knew that James sure as hell would. But then what did he know of pain and suffering? Just because he lost part of his body didn’t mean that he understood what it was like to lose those closest to you. Qrow would have easily sacrificed his body to save Summer, Amber and many others.</p>
<p>So he headed back a little late, taking his time, visiting his favorite bar, ‘Crow Bar,’ to partake in a few more drinks before heading to the school. They were even broadcasting the event. </p>
<p>He had a stupid conversation with the bartender and it was then that he heard, more than saw Winter's private airship. So he paid for his drinks and headed for Beacon proper.</p>
<p>Upon arriving, he destroyed a few of the metal soldiers that were with her, just to get her attention. It was fun breaking Jimmy's toys and irritating her at the same time.</p>
<p>She turned and their banter began. He knew just what to say to get her to snap and he loved it. So when she attacked him, all he could do was smirk as he was allowed to go all out now, since she started the fight.</p>
<p>He played with her some and occasionally got a little serious. He heard Ruby shouting for him, so that was an added bonus. And then as Winter prepared for a powerful attack, for which he totally egged her on, he also saw James, Oz and Glynda headed their way. </p>
<p>He put his weapon away and taunted her and she launched at him. Qrow was prepared to dodge but was fairly certain James was going to interview, for which he did. Watching Winter explain what had happened and adding that she started the fight was the most fun and most entertaining thing he had done in a while. Watching such uptight people, especially military people, turn into blubbering messes was great fun.</p>
<p>Ruby greats him afterward by glopping on his arm, as she was keen to do. He is happy beyond belief that she is here and clearly doing just fine. He agrees to catch up with her and Yang later but needs to meet with Oz first, playing like he is in trouble for tearing up the courtyard.</p>
<p>He joins Oz, Glynda, James and Winter in Oz’s office. </p>
<p>Winter decides to berate him first. “What were you thinking!?”</p>
<p>Followed by James, who could never resist calling Qrow out for every little mistake. “If you were one of my men, I would have you shot!”</p>
<p>Now Qrow is just irritated but he decided that pulling out the snark is the best he can offer. And to put a bigger point on it, he pulls out his flask. “If I was one of your men, I'd shoot myself.”</p>
<p>Then it’s Glynda’s turn, but her target isn’t Qrow, but Winter instead. “While I wouldn't condone his behavior, retaliating like you did certainly didn't help the situation.”</p>
<p>Winter responds appalled. “He was drunk!””</p>
<p>“He's always drunk!”</p>
<p>The four turn to look at him, as he is drinking from his flask. He looks back at everyone, eyes wide, when he notices them staring. He holds his flask out to the side, like he didn’t notice that it was a problem and then grimaces. Maybe he did drink a little too often.</p>
<p>Ozpin decides to take the reins of this conversation, as he stares at Qrow in shock, then sighs and sits down. “Qrow, why are you here?”</p>
<p>And of course Jimmy had to pile on. “You've been out of contact for weeks! You can't just go dark like that in the field!”</p>
<p>“I'm not one of your special operatives, Jimmy!”</p>
<p>Winter has to attempt to correct him. “General.”</p>
<p>“Whatever. You sent me to get intel on our enemy, and I'm telling you, our enemy is here.”</p>
<p>“We know.”</p>
<p>Jimmy just had to rub it in, didn’t he. “Oh! Oh, you know! Well, thank goodness I'm out there risking my life to keep you all informed!”</p>
<p>“Qrow-”</p>
<p>“Communication's a two-way street, pal. You see this?” He pulls out his Scroll and points to it. “That's the SEND button.”</p>
<p>Then Winter comes to Jimmy’s defense. “They had reason to assume you'd been compromised.”</p>
<p>Now he is choosing to be a brat because she isn’t a part of the inner circle and doesn’t know about Salem. At least not yet and Qrow intends to rub it in her face that she doesn’t belong. “And I have reason to assume you don't need to be here.” He points to Winter. “Seriously, who invited her?”</p>
<p>After a moment Jimmy realizes that has to send her out of the room and Qrow can’t help but smirk as he does. “Schnee, we'll discuss this incident back at my ship.”</p>
<p>“But sir!”</p>
<p>“Winter. Leave.”</p>
<p>Winter salutes Ironwood. “Yes sir.” And then she turns on her heel. Qrow winks at her and she gives him a dirty look as she enters the elevator.</p>
<p>Qrow gives them the run down about the one that caused Amber’s condition, telling them that they are here at the school, as he continued to drink from his flask. It was one of the few things that prevented him from curling into a ball and crying his eyes out. If only he was a little bit faster, Amber could have been saved.</p>
<p>He also tells them that having all of this military power is pointless because Salem’s actual creations are fear incarnate. After a few more jabs with Jimmy, Oz interjects that they need a new maiden and soon.</p>
<p>Shortly after Oz decides that Pyrrha should be their new maiden, for which she is impressive in her ability, it is clearly a lot for a young girl to take in all at once. At least they are making progress toward fighting their enemy.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But the next to worst possible thing happens, as Yang is shown attacking her opponent after the match ended. He knew that his niece was a loose cannon but it was usually pretty tempered. What he saw, seemed a little off but he couldn’t place what or how someone could have fooled her.</p>
<p>He decides to go talk to her later on, after she was disqualified, to see what she had to say about what happened. What he didn’t expect was to have a conversation about Raven instead. He shares a few details about where Raven may be so that when she is not in school, she can choose to find her like she has always wanted to do since she was little.</p>
<p>The next round of the tournament is not better, as Pyrrha is matched against Penny and right in front of their eyes, the girl that was not a girl is torn apart by their potential fall maiden. It was terrible to say the least. And then it all went to hell when the entire broadcast got hijacked by one of the pawns that he was worried about. </p>
<p>She called out the Headmasters, Oz and James, the schools and the students. It pissed him off and he felt rage like he had not thought possible. This young power hunger bitch was taking everything he cared about and throwing it into the fire. </p>
<p>Amity coliseum is under attack. Beacon is under attack. Vale is under attack. All he can do is deal with the Grimm that have started to attack the city because of the attack, fear and the unrest. Luckily, he is not alone in the fight, as Glynda and him do what they can with the Altas bots to take out the Grimm in the city, along with a number of students in the city.</p>
<p>Then when he thought that things could not get worse, the Atlas bots turned on him and Glynda and even he didn’t have time to enjoy her shocked expression, as they now had to contend with both grim and the bots attacking them and the city.</p>
<p>Ironwood lands near them and helps fight the bots and Grimm. After Qrow takes out the Griffon that was headed for James, he starts complaining about someone getting control of his machines. But he does then assign the three of them in a smart fashion but Qrow still has to be sarcastic about the short walk to his ship.</p>
<p>Qrow heads back to the school to help evacuate the school, as much as he hates the idea but it is better to get everyone, students and professors, out of there and come back to fight another day. He begins with any students he can find by directing them to transports that are headed to Vale. He then looks for the professors who seem to be already working to evacuate the school. He asks them to continue until everyone is evacuated. </p>
<p>He then comes across a horrified scene that he never thought he would ever see: Yang is on the ground missing a portion of her arm next to her teammate who had a wound just above her hip but still gripping Yang’s other hand in tears and occasionally apologizing. With wide eyes, he looks around for Ruby and Weiss, neither of which he could find. Another student with blond hair and a tail was able to tell him that they two went looking for Phyrra and Juane. </p>
<p>Qrow just wanted to fly to Ruby but he couldn’t transform in front of the students. He ordered the blond faunus boy to get all of them on a transport. Qrow gently grabbed Yang and put her on the transport himself. The boy, who Blake called Sun, helped Blake and sat her next to Yang. He asked Sun to make sure that both of the girls got treatment as soon as possible and he promised, seeming to care a great deal about their well being himself.</p>
<p>Then Qrow ran as quickly as he could toward the school and the tower. There is a giant Wyvern flying around the tower too. He also notices that the tower was broken. HOW!? How is that possible? Where was Oz? Nothing made sense. He was now really worried. He had to get to Ruby. He was not going to lose her. He promised Summer he would take care of them and the family. He was terrified that he was going to be too late again. </p>
<p>As he headed towards the tower, there was a fight on top of it with what looked like a maiden. Was that the woman who had taken Amber’s power or Pyrrha their new maiden? As he asks these questions he sees glyphs go up the side of the tower and Ruby run up the side. NOOOO! The Wyvern was right there and she was putting herself in harm's way. He wanted to fly up and stop her but before he can even get close enough to consider taking the risk to transform, he sees the while light that he has not seen in nearly twenty years. Ruby unlocked her ability to use her silver eyes and it was beautiful. They looked like giant white wings. He had seen a lot from Summer but nothing like that.</p>
<p>At this point he needed to get to her as soon as possible and he transformed and flew up to the top of the tower. When he gets there, he notices that the Wyvern is frozen in stone but unlike when Summer did it, it is not disintegrating. He cares little as he heads straight for Ruby. She is on the ground. He panics for a moment but when he realizes that she has just passed out, he attempts to comfort her and himself. </p>
<p>“It's alright. I got ya, kiddo. I got ya.”</p>
<p>He looks around looking for the enemy and sees no one. The only thing out of place here is a simple gold diadem. It looks familiar but he doesn’t have time to think about it. He grabs it and Ruby and quickly jumps down the tower using Harbinger the way Ruby usually does to slowly lower them to the ground. When he gets there Weiss sees him and asks about her, for which he has to play dumb about what happened and just promise to get Ruby some help to check her out.</p>
<p>He runs to the closest transport he can find, with Wiess and a few other students at his heels. He doesn’t see any other students or people. He finds one of the professors loading a few stragglers onto a transport and runs on himself, with Ruby in his arms. </p>
<p>“I think that is everyone. But please keep making flybys to verify if anyone got left behind.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And now, he was in Patch, with both Yang and Ruby, at the house he helped build, broken and defeated. The home that was always a safe place to come back to. The comfortable place that he could always come back to. Yet with the two brightest stars of the family quiet and silent, he was feeling like this place was losing its spark. It was depressing and surreal. </p>
<p>When Ruby finally woke up, it was like a light had come back to the house, for all of them but especially himself. Having the conversation about what happened to Ruby was interesting to say the least. He had figured out most of it from the other students and Jaune. He later learned that the diadem belonged to Phyrra and so he gave it to Jaune and it seemed to brighten his day. </p>
<p>But Qrow knew now that Ruby was a target and based on her reaction to Pyrrha’s death, it was clear she was sooo like her mother. So he decided to steer her in the right direction, knowing that it would take time and that he could follow and keep a very close eye on them. </p>
<p>When she finally left that winter, with Jaune, Ren Nora, he was happy that she wasn’t going alone. But with Ozpins’ staff in hand it was better that he follow quietly behind and fight off the dangers ahead as they travel, without them knowing that he was here. Family and friends alike, were always safer when he wasn’t close by. And they were going to need all of the luck they could get to make to Haven safely, because family meant more to him now than ever before.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. 41 Birds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Qrow is now in Haven, having followed Ruby and her friends across Anima, told them about the maidens and Salem, as well as his bad luck semblance, gotten poisoned by Tyrian and survived the ordeal by sheer coincidence that a patrol saw the smoke from their fight and was able to pick them up and take them to Mistral. </p>
<p>Then a young boy, by the name of Oscar, walks up to him in a bar and asks for his cane back, as the new reincarnation of Oz. Qrow was getting little help from Lionheart and was being disheartened with tracking down hunters to help prevent the fall of Haven Academy. This still seemed to be Salem’s next target.</p>
<p>Followed by the most shocking part of all, was when Yang and Wiess rode Bumblebee through Raven’s portal. Or so he thought. </p>
<p>Yang was explaining to the group what Raven had told her and Weiss about what and who the true enemy was, when she dropped the biggest surprise of all: Raven had shown them that she could turn into a raven at will. </p>
<p>Of all the secrets that he thought that he would have to reveal, this was one that he was sure he could keep to himself a little longer. So much for that plan. Thanks for nothing shit luck. Or maybe he should just be mad at Raven.</p>
<p>So here he was explaining to the group of six students, not other licensed hunters, but students in training, about how magic was real and that he and Raven could transform at will into birds. </p>
<p>It took Nora a little longer to grasp it and he was not about to show them like some show and tell at school. But they seemed to take the news fairly well. But considering what all of them had been through, prior to this moment, this must have seemed minor in comparison.</p>
<p>Qrow was still drinking a lot, and in some ways more than normal after his injury. The sheer number of obstacles that they had encountered was unfounded. And as much as he wanted to be there for them, it was just better if he left them to Oz and he drank his feelings away.</p>
<p>But the idea of flying around the school and keeping an eye out during the day was always a good feeling. He loved flying and he could be certain to get plenty of time in now that the kids would be catching up with each other and doing more training with Oz. He would just be in the way.</p>
<p>As much as he enjoyed the drink, he was pretty sure that being a bird who could fly would still always be his preferred way to escape for at least a little while.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. 42 Transformation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>One of my shortest chapters...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was like shrinking while curling up into a ball. The world got bigger in nearly an instant. It reminds him when he was younger and how some places seemed so big but when you return to them they seem so much smaller and out of place because you have grown.</p>
<p>And that feeling of shrinking was weird. It took a while to get used to it but after decades of doing it, he forgot what it felt like. Until today. </p>
<p>He was completely sober and the feeling of the whole process now was...different, to say the least. He had been transforming at many different levels of intoxication, which numbed the different parts of the feeling that he had forgotten what it was like in the beginning.</p>
<p>This actually scared him. That was not something that he had felt in a long time.</p>
<p>Feeling fear for bad things happening to his family or seeing Salem or her black pools. That fear was all reasonable. But this...this was different.</p>
<p>However, the longer that he was in Atlas, the easier it got to remember and adjust to the feeling like he had done so long ago at Beacon. </p>
<p>He just wished that the transformation from drinking constantly was just as smooth. That was something he really could not just will away or quickly get used to.</p>
<p>The shakes, the hot flashes, the sweating, the anxiety, the sudden tremors, the dizziness, the lack of appetite and the headaches. He hated them all, the last being the one that bothered him the most and quiet constantly. Unless certain people were around, he head was always in some state of pain or throbbing like it was begging him to drink again. </p>
<p>He was not going to let the symptoms change his mind or force his hand. He also had a lot of support and encouragement to stay the course this time, even when he had not asked for it.</p>
<p>As the days turned to weeks and the weeks to months, the symptoms became less severe, less of a hassle and a lot easier to push through. </p>
<p>All he could think now was, This is going to work. I can do this. But other thoughts always lingered in the back of his mind,  Why now? Why not when the girls needed or Tai or…. No he was not going to go down that path when the past could not be changed or altered in that way.</p>
<p>Now was the time to enjoy his life and his family and his friends, new and old, and learn to live as a changed... No. A transformed man, ready to take on life and anything it would throw at him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. 43 Trust</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Also short. I more dry and direct approach to the theme</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Trust is a fickle thing. Trust can be expected, earned, lost, redeemed, betrayed or forgotten. However, in Qrow’s life it was almost always earned and then betrayed.</p>
<p>It started with Raven, when they were little. And even though it may seem to be expected, she earned his trust when they learned to fight together. Covering each other's back. Helping the tribe and working as a team, most of the time.</p>
<p>Then when they went to Beacon, both Summer and Tai earned his trust. It was not a complicated thing for him. They supported him in ways he felt he didn’t deserve. While Tai was still someone he trusted, with his life no less, clearly Summer’s had been forgotten.</p>
<p>Others at Beacon that earned his trust were a handful of his classmates, professors and of course Ozpin and Glynda. At this point, Glynda and few of the professors were the few remaining souls that still had his trust and it was waning the longer he was away. The longer the communication tower was down.</p>
<p>Yang and Ruby had expected his trust as children and earned it too over the years. From helping to raise them to teaching Ruby how to fight, he never had any concerns with them.</p>
<p>The rest of their friends had earned his trust when they saved him from dying of poison and fighting for their lives and the lives of others at Haven, as well as keeping each other safe on the train to Argus. They always had each other’s backs, and made it work when they had disagreements in Atlas. It made him happy to know that Ruby and Yang would never be alone and have support from supportive and strong hunters.</p>
<p>Jimmy was someone that Qrow was conflicted when it came to trust. He had expected it when they first met, earned it when they arrived in Atlas, despite some of his sarcasm towards the man. Then held it as he tried to do what was right but that caused more problems and made it harder on everyone to push back Salem and save as many people in both Atlas and Mantle as possible. Then he lost it when he pushed those around him to turn on each other. But redeemed in the end. Qrow was still distraught with how that had turned out.</p>
<p>And then there was Clover. Despite every bit of logic and what had happened in the past year, this was a man he had learned to trust and very quickly. It had been challenging to have ‘that’ conversation but necessary, especially with what had happened with James. Bygone be bygones and all of that, his trust had been redeemed and in very powerful ways. And that was enough.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. 44 Music</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And now the short ones seem to becoming common. I guess it happens. Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He is at home, back in Patch. The war was won and Salem defeated. It was just him in his room. But it is not quiet. He wouldn’t want it to be. The kids and their friends are all downstairs celebrating, as the war had only ended just a few months ago. And despite the rowdy nature, there was sadness too, as Weiss was going back to Atlas, Ren and Nora were headed back Haven't to help out, Jaune was going through help out at Beacon, and Oscar was going to visit his Aunt and then help out wherever he could. Then Blake decided she wanted to go home too and Yang asked to go with her. The only one sticking around was Ruby, who had not decided what she wanted to do just yet. She was still recovering so she had a legitimate reason for holding off.</p>
<p>He is going to miss these gatherings. He was going to miss the kids too. But what he will really was going to miss the most is the noise that the kids bring with them. The sounds of all of their antics and laughter is music to his ears. The time that they have spent winding down, connecting with each other and finding themselves after all of the strife and struggle that they had endured was necessary. </p>
<p>The world may have wanted to trot them around like heroes and saviors but none of them had any interest in that. They just wanted to rest and recoup from their ordeal. A necessary part of learning to live with their past struggles and loss. It wasn’t going to be easy for any of them, but he was happy to share in this physical reset of their priorities and dreams. </p>
<p>There was still plenty to do in the world, or so he heard. He wasn’t exactly in any shape to actively engage with them, having sustained some substantial injuries himself. Broken bones and internal damage would do that to you. Not enough to be life threatening, at least not any more. </p>
<p>But he looked forward to the day when he could get out of bed on his own, without help. Getting treated like an invalid was irritating. He looked forward to having his casts removed and being told that he could train again, as he was acutely aware how much muscle loss he was having. He looked forward to wielding Harbinger again. He looked forward to getting out of the house. </p>
<p>When his doctors would finally give the all clear notice would be the most beautiful music he would ever hear.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. 45 Colors</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am hoping as we wind down these last 5 days that I can continue to finish one a day until Halloween. Based on my previous success, this should be fairly easy.</p>
<p>Then look out Clovember, because I think I am going to attempt that one too. This writing prompt challenge is really motivating me to write every day and I needed that to remind myself that I have written over 1.5 million words between Aug 2018 and July 2020 in my non-fiction work for my post masters degree. If I can do that for papers and online forum discussions, I can do daily prompts for fiction.</p>
<p>On top of Qrowtober, I am already making progress on two of my other ongoing stories and hope to have other chapters posted for them too, and at least one of them before the weekend, as I need to finish a small portion and then have my beta review it. So thank you for reading my drabbles, long and short and boosting my serotonin with your kudos, bookmarks and comments. I hope to return the favor to soooo many amazing writers here who also write for RWBY, in particular for the Fair Game tag. </p>
<p>I really like it here and I hope to be around in the future to continue improving my writing abilities by doing more of these short stories.</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Qrow is out on a mission. He doesn’t get much work nowadays because the number of grimm is continuously decreasing over the last year since Salem had been defeated and most of the grim pools had been destroyed. </p>
<p>Yet here he was on a mission with Clover to deal with a pack of Goliaths. They didn’t usually bother civilizations but the new goal of the huntsmen and the academies was to rid the world of grimm so that no one would have to fear them or become victims of them ever again. </p>
<p>It was a small pack of five. He and Clover tag teamed to pick them off one by one, as best they could. The forest for which they are fighting in helps give them a leg up as they are able to use the trees to get away from the stomping beast and their tusks. Everything goes the way as planned until they get to the last Goliath. Qrow hears a cry and he can’t help but wonder who or what is out here with them. As they finish off the last one, he hears it again. He heads in the direction of the sound and then waits while looking around for anything out of place. Clover follows, not sure what Qrow is doing.</p>
<p>Then they both hear it and they rush towards it to find a child. A boy about seven years old, cuddled up in what looks like a wolf den. Clover tries to get the boy to come out but he just recoils into the hole. Qrow pulls out a dried meat ration and opens it for the child. He shows him that he eats some and the boy slowly reaches for it and pulls back into the whole to eat it. Once he finishes, then climbs towards Qrow wanting more, not quite leaving the hole. Clover pulls out some more food, offering it to the boy, when he pulls back into the hole again. After he finishes the second time, the boy climbs all the way out clearly looking for more food as he pats are their pockets.</p>
<p>He is scrawny and clearly hungry. They ask about his family or where he is from and the child just stares at them blankly. It’s almost the Solstice holiday and so they decide to take him home until they can do a proper search for his family.</p>
<p>Ruby and Yang take a liking to him after he stops hiding behind Qrow, which only ends when they offer him food. Ruby goes up to her room and pulls out crayons and paper and his eyes light up like they are the best thing ever.</p>
<p>He dives for the brightly colored crayons and scribbles all over. It is now that Qrow finally realizes that the boy is wearing dirty grey rags. In fact everything about the boy seems in gray scale compared to their surroundings. And they are just in the kitchen. They have not even gone into the living room yet. This poor kid is going to have a heart attack.</p>
<p>After what seems like more than an hour, Qrow decided it was time take him into the other room to see the holiday decorations. Clover thinks it would be more appropriate to give him a bath. So Clover carries the boy upstairs and gets him all cleaned up. Tai finds some of Yang’s old clothes that are not too girly for the boy to wear. He seems to really like the yellow color. </p>
<p>Qrow notices that the boy has said nothing since they have found him. Just a few whines and whimpers. But as they escort him back down the stairs, Ruby and Yang have been quick at work to turn on the lights and add a few more decorations to really brighten up the Solstice tree. The boy turns and his eyes go wide looking at all of the vast and bright colors, mostly green, red and white. Then he finally speaks. </p>
<p>“Pretty.”</p>
<p>The girls gush over him a bit more, encouraging him to get closer and touch some of the lights and objects. Everything is going well until the tree falls over and Qrow just has to laugh. The boy looks terrified and begins to cry. Clover tries to comfort him with food but he doesn’t seem to want that any more. The girls have the tree back up and in place in short order. When the boy realizes that no one is angry or upset his spirits pick up again. Clearly some trauma there. Qrow still worries that this boy probably doesn’t have family left anymore.</p>
<p>After they keep him for a few days during the holiday, they take pictures and search the CCT database looking for him and find no record or him or anyone looking for him. They check in with locals in Vale and some of the surrounding villages and still no one recognizes him. Glynda offers to place him in an orphanage to take him off their hands and Qrow declines as they continue to look for family. </p>
<p>After a few weeks, they still have found nothing but it is obvious to Qrow that this boy has taken a liking to him, Clover, Tai, Zwei, as well as the girls who seem to visit more often to see the boy, which they have guessed his name, thanks to Clover. Jay. </p>
<p>Jay still doesn’t speak much but is slowly opening up to them. Qrow realizes that he is now a part of their family, intentional or not. So he visits Glynda and gets the plethora of papers to fill out so that he can officially adopt the boy, for which Clover doesn’t even question when he learns about the forms and offers to assign his name to them as well.</p>
<p>As Qrow and Clover are finishing up the paperwork, Jay is quietly painting. He then hops down from the table and goes to show them the painting that he just finished. </p>
<p>With bright green, red and blue colors, he has painted a picture of Clover, Qrow and himself respectively. With the picture thrust out in front of him, he says one word. “Family.”</p>
<p>Qrow had not had the urge to cry for over a year, now that the world was recovering, but this single gesture does just that. He glances over at Clover who also has tears streaming down his face. Qrow picks up Jay and tells him what they are doing with the paperwork in front of him. Jay seems to understand, like he did with a lot of things, because he gives a big hug to Qrow and then reaches for Clover and does the same.</p>
<p>Without any prompting, Qrow grabs the painting, using the pen he writes Jay's word in the bottom corner and the date. He then grabs a magnet and places it on the fridge.</p>
<p>He then steps back, as Clover and Jay walk over, the bright colors of the picture saying all that Jay can’t say out loud. This was all that he needed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If this one was a sad kind of happy story for you, then I'm not really sorry that this came out the way that it did. My brain went back to more of the out of the box thinking with these prompts, as did some of the rest of the ideas for this week. And I love the idea that Qrow has his own family, even if they are not the conventional family. As a foster parent, family is what you make of it, just like Jay does here.</p>
<p>If I haven't said it previously, I will reiterate that I love comments, if you feel the need to make them. I hope to spend some time on the weekends responding to the dozens that I have received in the last month that I have not responded to. (SO SORRY) But in these difficult times, sometimes all it takes is a few kind words from a stranger to make you feel better. My self included.</p>
<p>Until next chapter or story... 🍀</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. 46 Accessories</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Their family is expanding again.<br/>But what do girls like to do when they play...dress up.<br/>So what better way to dress up than to accessorize.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They were having a nice afternoon letting the kids do what they wanted and laughing along with them. Qrow didn’t expect to be mortified with photographic evidence of what the kids did to them that day. And yet here he is, trying to steal their scrolls and delete the video and photos.</p>
<p>It all started that morning when their girls decided that they wanted to play dress up. Their daughters, Azalea and Tansy, 12 and 10 years old respectively, were orphaned in Argus when their parents' ship got caught in a storm that seemed to have come out of nowhere. Clover and Qrow had been in the area when it happened and were trying to find survivors of the storm, followed by helping clean up from it. Clover was told by a local that their neighbors owned a boat that had been found upturned and destroyed. He also told him that they had two young daughters at home who probably didn’t know what had happened to their parents.</p>
<p>Clover and Qrow immediately head to the house with the neighbor and find that the girls are in fact home alone. They ask them about their parents and if they have any other relatives in the area, which they do not know of any. After using the CCT they have no luck locating any family that they may have had. Clover can’t stand the idea of them being left alone at the house or to wait for news of a family member. So Qrow and Clover stay in Argus for the next few days, contacting Tai about helping to take care of Jay a bit longer than they had planned. Then Qrow heads home, while Clover stays for a few weeks with the girls. </p>
<p>Despite some inquiries from friends about the obituaries of the deceased parents, no one knows of any living family. Haven’s headmistress offers to take them in personally and Clover thinks it's a good idea. But the girls seem to have other plans in mind, as they refuse to stay with the headmistress, having connected with Clover who has taken care of them for the past few weeks. He can’t argue that he doesn’t care about them but he just wasn’t planning on becoming a dad again to two nearly teenagers at this point in his life. Clover calls Qrow and tells him that he thinks it is better for the girls to come home with him and Qrow agrees and after Clover ends the call, he just sighs and says, “Pushover. Well looks like this place is going to become a little too small for all of us?”</p>
<p>So Qrow starts looking for a new place to live when Tai suggests the opposite; Qrow and Clover stay and Tai move out. Qrow immediately protests but after some convincing arguments, including previously filled out paperwork to transfer the ownership to Qrow and Clover, Qrow reluctantly accepts. This house that was so many things to all of them was now suddenly his and Clover’s. And shortly after Clover brought the girls home with him, so were the girls.</p>
<p>They were such suckers for lost children. </p>
<p>That was four months ago. Jay had fallen in love with his new big sisters almost immediately. Ruby and Yang found them fun to spend time with and figure out what they wanted to do with their lives and what schools to attend.</p>
<p>That brings us back to today. Where normally playing dress up would not be a problem, as they did it nearly every day. But on this day, they wanted their dads to join in on the fun. Clover agreed and when Qrow saw him in a dress, he just could not turn the man down when offered a dress to don himself.</p>
<p>But the girls were not done with them yet. Yang and Blake had gifted them some make-up and play jewelry and wanted to finish what they started. So Qrow and Clover took turns putting the make-up on the girls and the girls putting make-up on them. Finally finishing it off with the necklace, rings, bracelet, earrings and crown accessories. Apparently it was all about the accessories.</p>
<p>The girls asked for a modeling show so they each took a turn to walk like models do and posing and turning for their audience of four, as Jay quietly squeaked and giggled at the whole thing, the only one to evade the dress up request.</p>
<p>Qrow went last and then pulled Clover up with him, because despite how bad and gaudy the make-up was, in some crazy way seeing his husband in a poufy pink dress, make-up and accessories was HOT! </p>
<p>They posed a few times together and then Qrow turned and dipped Clover and kissed him which drew a roar of screams from their kids, Jay included. </p>
<p>After Qrow pulled back from the kiss, with Clover still dipped, as he was planning on subtly commenting on how he wanted Clover to wear the dress later tonight, Clover notices someone outside the window.</p>
<p>Qrow looks up and sees Ruby and Yang either taking photos or recording the display while standing outside the front living room window. Turns out they are not alone, as Blake and Oscar can’t seem to stop giggling at the whole scene. So now Qrow is quickly removing the costumes, so it doesn’t rip, so that he can get to Yang and Ruby as quickly as possible. As Qrow chases them down trying to get rid of the photographic evidence. Clover just laughs, as he has resigned himself to his fate, knowing that they have likely uploaded it to their social media to share with the rest of their friends.</p>
<p>After about ten minutes, Qrow finally gets both phones but it is as Clover suspect, he can delete it off their phone but it is already on social media getting dozens of likes and laughs.</p>
<p>Clover calls over Qrow and pulls him down on the couch and then has Azalea, Tansy and Jay huddle around and Clover takes a photo using his own scroll, documenting his own entertainment for the day. He sends it to Qrow, who later saves the pic to his background wallpaper and cherishes that memory with great detail.</p>
<p>He looks closely at all of the details in the picture and notices their colorful wedding rings amidst all of the other costume items. It really was all about the accessories.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. 47 Fireflies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Qrow and the family were on a camping trip. The kids loved the outdoors so this made logical sense. They invited Tai, Ruby, Yang and all of their friends and met up at a small lake in Vale proper, that was a great place to swim, fish, play and enjoy the wilderness, all thanks to the fact that the Grimm had been exterminated from this area.</p>
<p>On the first day they didn’t get to do much since they were all worn out from traveling. But once they got their tents set up and had dinner, they all got a bit of a second wind. And with good time because it was dusk and the fire was going and the sounds of the late springtime creatures created a great symphony for them to watch as the fireflies took the stage. </p>
<p>They walked down to the lake, as their tents were pitched a bit farther away and saw hundreds if not thousands of the critters all over the trees, plants and above the lake. At times the lake look like it glowed as the reflection was so bright.</p>
<p>The girls just gasped and stared in wonder and kept pointing out the best parts. The girls are in awe of the fireflies in the summer. Even Clover can still appreciate them having only been here for a few years with Qrow. Jay was a little more quiet but that was his way. Qrow has a jar for the kids to collect them as their very own night light.</p>
<p>Jay was all excited at the idea, as was Tansy. Clover and Azalea were a little more squeamish about touching the bugs. But when Azalea noticed how much fun the other two were having she sucked it up and tried on her own and made her piece with it, as did Clover to a degree.</p>
<p>After they had collected a handful or so, they decided that they were done for the night, exhaustion finally settling in.</p>
<p>The three kids are sharing a tent with their firefly jars and after they put them to bed, Qrow and Clover begin to get ready for bed too. They are chatting for the last few minutes about the plan for the next day when Jay peaks his head into the tent.</p>
<p>Qrow tries to figure out what has got him up and with the few words and pointing, “stomach feels like fireflies”</p>
<p>At first Qrow thinks he actually ate one or more of the bugs but quickly finds out that is not the case. And after talking a bit more with Jay’s really short and simple answers, Qrow figures out that Jay is feeling nervous about sleeping in the tent in the wild. And Qrow recalls that it was only two years ago that they found the boy in the woods. Lost. Alone.</p>
<p>It dawned on Qrow that Jay is scared and worried that something will happen to them like family. They had not thought about what Jay would think and despite talking about it and sharing pictures with him and the girls, he never said a word.</p>
<p>Qrow explains the metaphoric feeling of fireflies or butterflies in his stomach. And explains that their daddies and all of the other family are trained to fight should the need arise. Qrow and Clover could not break the habit of taking their weapons with them wherever they went. He had seen Ruby and her friends and noticed that all of them had brought them too. Out of habit or just as a precaution, but it seems comforting to know that his family both small and large, immediate and extended would be able to protect Jay and the girls. </p>
<p>He finally got Jay to calm down and sleep, after grabbing Qrow’s hand and snuggling with it for dear life, Qrow was able to slip away.</p>
<p>He didn’t want to admit that hearing Jay voice his fears brought an awareness to him that made his own stomach feel like fireflies. Good thing Jay would never have to be concerned about losing his family again, firefly feeling or insect, because he was loved and protected by everyone.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. 48 Nature</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Qrow was looking at pictures of their kids that were on the wall one afternoon. They had just put them up that week, so there was a newness to them that prompted him to stop and stare at them often. Their kids were growing up so fast. Jay is 14, twice as old as he was when they adopted him. They only had Azalea and Tansy for two year but with the multitude of pictures on the wall and how many experiences they had all had together, it felt like a lot longer.</p>
<p>Qrow was not unaccustomed to children growing up so fast having helped with Yang and Ruby, who were now 25 and 23 respectively. He still had a hard time coming to grips with that. But he also realized that while Clover and him raised them together, that he was always around. When the girls were little, many times he would take jobs that would pull him away from home, as well as his semblance and his drinking. Now he didn’t have those things to distract him from the day to day life that came with being a parent to three children. </p>
<p>At the age of 14, Azalea was really coming into her own. She seemed so focused on taking care of Tansy in the beginning but after about six months, she finally started focusing on herself and what she likes. She was a lot girlier than he was expecting but Blake was able to help out with that. But she was not shy about her opinions and she was smart as a wip. She was also pretty blunt about some things that would get her into trouble, everything from ruining surprises to opening talking about when she started her menstrual cycle. She was a beautiful freak of nature and she was all theirs.</p>
<p>Tansy was like a complete opposite to Azalea, which was appropriate for sisters or siblings. Just like Qrow and Raven or Ruby and Yang, they each had their strengths and weaknesses, preferences and dislikes. Tansy, despite being two years younger than Azalea, chose to act and be as much like Ruby as she could get, to the point of being called her shadow and occasionally Ruby’s younger sister and on one occasion Ruby’s daughter. She was a good student and an amazing fighter. Fighting for those who were not able to fight themselves was just in her nature. She was determined to be a great huntress and with her semi-obsession with Ruby, chose to craft a scythe for her weapon, just like Ruby and him. It had not come up yet that Ruby had learned from him how to fight but all in due time. Ruby spending time and bonding with her felt like serendipity. He taught her and she taught his daughter, and likely someone would eventually come around and want Tansy to teach them. The infamous scythe wielder was becoming synonymous with Patch, Vale and Beacon. It was a nice legacy, regardless.</p>
<p>Then there was Jay. The youngest and the first addition to their growing family. He was the sweetest and still the quietest member of the family. He loved to read and write. You would never find him without a book or his journal. He was constantly taking notes and learning as much as he could and exploring the fiction stories as well. He was a connoisseur of the written world the same way that speed eaters were of food. When prompted he would grace you with beautiful descriptions and imagery. His poetry was wonderful, even for his age. Clover was also struck by just the sheer amount of detail and volume of knowledge the boy possessed. Jay was likely to be a writer or philosopher of some kind, but considering he was only ten, his future held many possibilities.</p>
<p>They were all going up so much and so fast. It was so much fun to see them all thrive and find themselves in this world after Salem had been defeated. Such was the nature of these things and Qrow wouldn’t have it any other way.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. 49 Hands</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Qrow was rarely someone who ever interfered in others lives. With his semblance it always seemed like such a bad idea and would likely result in disaster. However, after years of honing his focus, he was well aware that it was having less detrimental side effects on those around him. This was especially appreciative regarding their kids.</p><p>But this time it wasn’t his kids lives that he wanted to intervene. He had a few very specific people that he had in mind: Clover &amp; Blake</p><p>First up was of course his husband. Clover had done so much as a stay at home dad over the years with the kids and even though that was needed at the time, the kids weren’t little anymore. And Clover was limited on huntsmen jobs that wouldn’t take him away from home for days at a time. He had taken odd end jobs here and there but nothing long term. That was about to change.</p><p>Glynda was looking to retire soon but none of the current professors had any interest in being headmaster. Qrow didn’t want the job either. Besides he much preferred working at Signal with the younger students.</p><p>Clover was an excellent planner and leader, as noted by his years in the Ace Ops and military. It was high time that he put those skills to good use. So it started first with Glynda asking Clover for assistance with some small things once or twice a week. Most of which did require some big picture thinking and Glynda was very impressed with how Clover chose to handle and work out these issues. Then it progressed to asking him to work part time as her assistant. She offered to work with his schedule regarding the kids and Clover quickly agreed.</p><p>Clover had shared with Qrow just how much he was enjoying his work at Beacon, being a part of a larger organization again was refreshing. Qrow could easily see how excited and lively Clover had been as of late, due to being able to apply his skills in that setting.</p><p>Glynda didn’t even have to ask for him to take on more, as Clover volunteered to stay later to work on bigger projects or help some of the professors with issues that she had not had a chance to address. Clover was so good at what he did, that there were days that she was left with nothing to do, which had never happened before. She called a friend and decided to take the day off early to go meet them for lunch and then spend some time just walking around Vale. </p><p>This continued for about a month and Glynda realized that she didn’t want to wait years to retire. She wanted to retire now. After all of the battles that had been fought, they finally won the biggest one of all and she didn’t want to be in charge anymore. She wanted to go live her life like she had not been able to previously. </p><p>So she called Qrow, who immediately was surprised that she was considering this so soon. She wanted his opinion regarding if Clover would be up to the challenge or even want the job that she had groomed him for. Qrow just chuckled, “I don’t think he would be able to say no. He has raved about his work at Beacon a lot recently. You have nothing to worry about.”</p><p> </p><p>The second person he needed to help was Blake. They were so much alike and he worried how critical she was being of herself, despite having survived the war. She constantly worried that she was a burden and that she would somehow hold Yang back or bring her down. And since Qrow had easily lived through and survived all of his own self doubt, it was time to share with her some of the best things in his life to make her see her own worth.</p><p>He asks her to come help out with Azalea regarding some make-up thing or other. Qrow loved his daughter and did his best to stay apprised of all that went on in her life but he just couldn’t bring himself to learn about make-up. The details just went over his head. </p><p>So after she had helped with that, they sat on the couch in the living room and talked for a bit, while he was planning on sharing his own experiences with self-doubt and the like, Blake took the conversation in a different direction.</p><p>“How did you and Clover decide to become parents? I mean I know that you found Jay but if you had not found him or the girls, would you have chosen to adopt or used a surrogate?”</p><p>Qrow tried to hide his surprise, because the conversation between him and Clover had only ever occurred before Salem was defeated and in very general terms along the lines of ‘that would be nice.’ But this was clearly eating at Blake.</p><p>“Well, to be honest, we didn’t really talk about it until Jay entered our lives. We weren’t even engaged at the time, so I was actually surprised when Clover requested to sign the adoption papers with me. And in some ways Jay brought us closer, which prompted our conversations about us and the future. So we did things a little backwards.” He paused for a moment, realizing that he had gotten lost in his own past. “But that doesn’t really answer your question. Hmmm. I don’t know if we would have gone looking to be parents at least for another few years. I think that we would have eventually considered it based on the number of times Clover and I have talked about you and your friends. As for if we would have adopted or used a surrogate, that is hard to say. A part of me thinks we may have considered both.” </p><p>She looked like she was disappointed with the answer and he wasn’t really sure what was going on or why she was asking, until it occurred to him that even though they weren’t married yet that perhaps Yang and her were thinking of their future. </p><p>So he asks. “What brought this on?”</p><p>She shifts uncomfortably in her seat. “I have just been trying to imagine what I want in my future. And even though I would love the idea of being a mom I don’t really know if Yang would want that as part of her future and she keeps changing the subject every time I start to talk about us together in the future. I first thought she was having second thoughts about us and when I confronted her about it she was very apologetic but I wonder if there is still something more that she won’t talk to me about.”</p><p>Qrow could easily see Tai and Summer in this situation, as things that were danced around and denied back after Raven left. Despite having no connection to them, the similarities were there. </p><p>“Blake, I love you like you were one of my own kids and I am sorry that you are having such a hard time communicating with Yang. But maybe you still focus on the two of you first.”</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“The last I checked, neither of you has asked a pretty important question.” Blake’s eyes grew as big as saucers. It was clear that she knew exactly what he was referring to.</p><p>“I want to so bad but I’m….scared. Not of asking but of doing it in front of others.”</p><p>“Then don’t. No one says that you have to make a spectacle of it. Clover and I didn’t.”</p><p>“Yeah, but the story about yours is so sweet that I wish we could actually see it.”</p><p>“True but I wouldn’t change that night for anything. Including being in front of others. I love all of you guys but there are some things that are better when it’s just the two of you.”</p><p>“I think that is something that I can do. I already have a ring.”</p><p>“Really? Then what the hell are you waiting for? You clearly know what you want.”</p><p>Blake hesitantly says, “I... wanted to know if….she shared the same….future plans that I do.” There are tears gathering in her eyes and now Qrow understands the whole reason for their conversation.</p><p>He reaches over and hugs her. “Oh Blake. I didn’t realize that was why you were asking about my kids in the beginning.” She starts to cry more readily on his shoulder.</p><p>“I’m sorry I shouldn’t burden you with this. It’s so silly. I know I love her and I want to be with her. I just worry that we will disagree about our plans for the future regarding, well, everything. But this was the one area that I worried would be one of my biggest concerns.” She starts to sob more readily and clearly can’t speak because of how upset she is. Clover who was in the kitchen preparing dinner pokes his head in and Qrow very subtly shakes his head and Clover leaves them be.</p><p>Once Blake starts to collect herself, Qrow pulls back and reaches for the tissue box on the side table and offers them to Blake who grabs a few to clean herself up, a bit of make-up running down her face. At that very moment she looked so much like Azalea, as she was particularly sensitive and had been in this exact position with Qrow. It was hard not to see her as his daughter. And with any luck she would be family soon enough, even though he saw them all as family years ago.</p><p>Once she collects herself, “I’m sorry. I really shouldn’t…”</p><p>“Stop that. You have done nothing wrong. Do you hear me?” She shook her head. “I will always be willing to talk to you and let you cry on my shoulder if you ever need it.” </p><p>Blake sniffles again. “Thank you.” She wipes her eyes with tissue again.</p><p>“As for what you should do, only you can decide that. I understand that you worry about the future and what you want, possibly being different than what she wants. It’s a valid concern. However, let me ask this: Can you imagine that you would love Yang any less if she didn’t agree with your plans?”</p><p>Blake shakes her head no.</p><p>“Can you imagine choosing to end your relationship over this disagreement?”</p><p>Blake freezes. Slowly, so slowly, she shakes her head no.</p><p>“Then I think you have already made up your mind about what you want.”</p><p>Blake stares through him for a moment. Then she stands up quickly. She doesn’t say a word. Before she leaves he has one last piece of advice.</p><p>“Blake.” She turns to look at him. “Do it the way you want, not the way that everyone else expects.” </p><p>She nods, turns to leave. Stops and walks back over to him and hugs him. “Thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>So here they were, having a party to celebrate Glynda’s retirement and Clover’s acceptance to be the Headmaster at Beacon, ready to take the school in a new direction as the threat of Grimm continues to subside. </p><p>Among the crowd is the gaggle of kids all oogaling Blake’s and Yang’s engagement rings. Apparently after Blake spoke with Qrow she planned a nice dinner for Yang and herself in their apartment and even though she did propose first, she just beat Yang from doing the same, because Yang had a ring for Blake as well. As much as he thought they loved each other, it was like you could tell that they loved each other more. He wondered if that was what he and Clover looked like after they had gotten engaged.</p><p>Yang excuses herself from the crowd and makes a beeline towards Qrow. </p><p>“You! I know it was you!”</p><p>“Me?” As he points to himself, acting like a brat who doesn’t know better. </p><p>“You had a hand in this.” She shoves her hand with the ring on her finger in his face and then pulls it back. “She came home after helping Azalea but her make-up was all messed up. And she wouldn’t tell me about it. It had to do with this, didn’t it?”</p><p>“I am not in the habit of telling people what to do. I was just someone willing to listen. All her decisions were her own.”</p><p>Yang smirks. “Thanks Uncle Qrow. I had been dragging my feet and I, no, we needed this.”</p><p>“You’re welcome?” She punches him lightly on the shoulder. Weiss comes over and pulls Yang back towards the gaggle of kids and starts posing her and Blake together for </p><p>Clover having seen their interaction comes over to Qrow while everyone else is busy talking and eating.  “I hear you knew about this before everyone else?”</p><p>Qrow glances at him, side eyed. “Yeah but that's no surprise. You saw her crying on my shoulder a few weeks ago.”</p><p>“That’s not what I was referring to.”</p><p>Qrow looks at Clover properly. “Oh, You mean Glynda. Yeah. She called me a few weeks ago, worried that you would turn her down. I promised her that could never happen.”</p><p>“I meant that you knew that she wanted to retire months ago and was looking for a successor.”</p><p>Now Qrow was going to have to put on a show. “I don’t know about all that. Besides, I have been too busy with other projects to spend time worrying about Glynda.”</p><p>“But you would make time to spend on me.” Clover pauses as he glances back at Team RWBY, CFVY, JNR and others who have come back to celebrate with him and Glynda that are getting a little over zealous. “I know you had a hand in this, but I just don’t know how much. You better believe I am going to find out, because I plan to return the favor by any means necessary.”</p><p>“Trust me, my lucky charm, you already have.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. 50 Free Day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Today Qrow is out with the kids at an amusement park that was built just outside the city of Vale proper. Now that Grimm were a rare occurrence as they were not spawning any longer, this amusement park could thrive without concern of being attacked or destroyed. A local collaboration from Beacon, Vale, and community helped design and build this park as a way for families to visit and have fun together.</p>
<p>And his family was doing just that. They were playing games and getting on things called roller coasters, which turned out to be his favorite thing. It was like flying in bird form when they went down the big hills and went around the spirals. He had ridden the largest one four times that day. </p>
<p>The kids were clearly enjoying their time but sometimes seemed a little out of it and he couldn’t figure out why. He asked Clover about it and he agreed that he noticed that about the kids too. Clover offered to poke around and find out what was going while Qrow went to ride the coaster again.</p>
<p>He was able to later tell Qrow that they were worried that their gift for him wasn’t going to be to his liking. Qrow could easily see that Azalea would definitely be worried about that sort of thing. Maybe being the oldest was rubbing off on the younger two.</p>
<p>They finished out their day with a few games and a tour through the gift shop, having been there for a number of hours, and then headed home. Their kids, despite all being teenagers, were exhausted and Qrow didn’t blame them. The whole family fell asleep on the transport back to Patch. </p>
<p>Once they got home, Qrow was feeling much better and looking forward to his special birthday dinner out with Clover. They had done it for years. Qrow always looked forward to the creme brulee for dessert. He showered and changed clothes for the evening, looking forward to a quiet evening out after their very full morning and afternoon.</p>
<p>Once Clover was ready, they headed out. Once inside the restaurant, he notices something odd. It was nearly empty. Despite being a little early it seemed a little odd to him. But they were quickly shown their table and having known their favorites ordered quickly, including a new appetizer to share. They have a nice conversation about current and future things, as well as a few past things, throughout their meal. </p>
<p>They order dessert and then Qrow knows that something is wrong. Their waiter tells them that they are out of ingredients to make the creme brulee. He is disappointed and despite wanting a dessert, he doesn’t really have a desire for anything but that today. Even the dark chocolate bundt cake doesn’t sound appealing. Nothing truly compared to the flavor of creme brulee.</p>
<p>As they were getting ready to leave, the waiter had not given them their check. And when they inquired, he could only tell them that it had been paid for by another patron. Curious, Qrow asks who and the waiter points to a private party room. Clover suggests that they at least say thank you and Qrow agrees.</p>
<p>Qrow goes over, with Clover following and opens the door.</p>
<p>“SURPRISE!!!!!!!!”</p>
<p>Qrow sees nearly everyone that he knows, from friends, to family, to professors from Signal and Beacon. Immediately they begin to sing. </p>
<p>“HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY<br/>
HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY<br/>
HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY<br/>
TO YOU, TO YOU, TO YOU<br/>
HOORAY!”</p>
<p>Qrow’s shock is clearly seen by everyone as his eyes are bigger than normal. He turns to look at Clover who looks just as shocked. </p>
<p>“You didn’t know about this?”</p>
<p>“No. I’m actually a little disappointed I wasn’t included.”</p>
<p>Ruby is the first to speak. “It was all them.” As she points to their three kids as they set up the candles on the cake. “They were concerned that Clover would tell you as a precaution. And they really wanted you to be surprised.”</p>
<p>Tansy headed over to them and grabbed Qrow by the wrist. “Come. You have to blow out the candles.”</p>
<p>Qrow let himself be pulled towards the cake on the table. But as he gets closer, he realizes that it isn’t just a cake but a very large creme brulee with two other traditional cakes on each side. And on top of the creme brule, are two candles with a 5 and 0 next to each other, both lit and starting to melt.</p>
<p>Jay and Azalea crowd around him, urging him closer to the dessert and the candles. </p>
<p>“Come on Dad, blow out the candles.” Jay encouraged him.</p>
<p>How could he not comply, so he blew out the candles. As the smoke lingered on the candles, he stared at the 50, just now recognizing that he had managed to survive and in many ways thrive for 50 years despite all of the bad things that had happened to him in the past. He had been a teammate for 33 years, huntsman for 30 years, uncle for 27 years, and professor for a total of 6 years.</p>
<p>When he focused on the best parts of his life, he easily realized that he had a lot to be proud of. He had been a mentor for 9 years, sober for 8 years, a dad for 5 years, and married for 4 years. And he was instrumental in helping to save the world, despite his injuries, which were absolutely worth it.</p>
<p>As he thought about this, tears began to well up in his eyes and he pulled his kids close to him and thanked them for the surprise party. It was thanks to them that he had this moment to reflect and be appreciative for everything that his life had brought him. He had a hard and painful existence for so many years, but there was always someone who needed him, that he also needed too. </p>
<p>First it was his sister while in the tribe, then it was his team at Beacon, then it was Oz, then it was the girls, then it was teaching and then it was Oz again. Soon after all of that, things changed drastically. So then it was Ruby and her friends and then more of her friends and the fight for the world. Followed by Clover. All of it led to the three kids that he was hugging in his arms.</p>
<p>Clover had followed shortly after Qrow blew out the candles and Qrow quickly included him in this family hug. Qrow was not usually one to cry but this reflection of his life and how he had found happiness in who he was and in his own worth, was something that he would never want to change. Everyone he cared about was in this room and the most precious were those that entered his life unexpectedly and now surrounded him and gave him affection and appreciation daily. He just had never truly noticed before this moment. </p>
<p>He shared some of this internal thought with them and the whole family started crying with him, expressing their own happiness at having found a place to belong and a family to call their own. And how they were so happy that they were the first to be able to do something like this for him.</p>
<p>While they together like that, Ruby, Tai and a number of others began to slice cake and start other conversations, giving the family all the time they needed to have their moment. No one dared to interrupt them, knowing that they all needed this time to share with Qrow just how much they meant to him and vice versa. The rest would get their turn in due time. </p>
<p>Right now, it was all about Qrow and how he was needed, cherished and loved by those closest to him. He was so much more than words could describe. Qrow needed to hear that said, out loud, like we all do from time to time, to truly recognize our own value. </p>
<p>Today was his day and they all wanted to see him be the amazing man that he had become long into the future.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>When you've only got 100 years to live.</p>
<p>Thank you SOOOOOOO MUCH for making it all this way through my story. I can not express my appreciation that you stuck it out with me.</p>
<p>So I ended this crazy thing on Qrow's 50th birthday.</p>
<p>In case you had not caught on, the number in front of each chapter was Qrow's age at the time that the event occurred. Hence the canon compliance with Raven leaving, Summer disappearing, teaching at Signal, the fall of Beacon, traveling with Ruby and company. </p>
<p>I was amazed at how easy it was for me to use alternative meanings to some of the themes but it was sooo much fun to do. And I was very proud that I was able to keep up with the prompts, losing some sleep along the way. But I did it.</p>
<p>AND IT IS DONE!!!</p>
<p>I hope that you enjoyed the ride.</p>
<p>I am planning on doing Clovember next. I can only hope that it is just as successful. Wish me luck! 🍀</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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